Histologic structure of the parenchyma and stroma of the young ostrich (Struthio camelus) liver

The aim of this work was to describe, in light microscopy, the histologic structure, the collagen and elastic fibers distribution pattern in the hepatic stroma of young ostriches. Samples of the liver of 30 younglings ostriches had been gotten (age between 30 and 40 days). The samples were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin solution by 24h and processed according to usual technique for paraffin embedding. Sections were stained by the techniques of Gomori's Trichrome, Weigert's Fuchs in-Resorcin, Picro Sirius Red with polarization, Gomori's silver impregnation and PAS histochemical reaction. The histologic structure in such a way ofparenchyma as of hepatic stroma is similar in the ostrich and the hen. The only outstanding difference was about the use of yolk, with the ostrich hepatocyte cytoplasm presenting great amount of lipidic droplets until the 30 days of life, what it must be led in consideration in the nutricional handling of these birds.