52a Reunião Anual da Sociedade Brasileira de
Zootecnia
Zootecnia: Otimizando Recursos e Potencialidades
Belo Horizonte – MG, 19 a 23 de Julho de 2015
Características Histológicas do Hepatopâncreas do Camarão de Água doce (Macrobrachium
rosenbergii)1
Ricardo Romão Guerra2, Marino Eugênio de Almeida Neto3, Marcos Antônio Sinésio da Silva4, Eudes
Fernando Alves da Silva4, Bianca de Oliveira Ramiro4, Iana Talita Fernandes Santos4, Ana Clarisse Dias da
Silva5
1
Pré-Projeto de Iniciação Científica do terceiro autor
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciência Animal- CCA/UFPB, Campus II/Areia, PB, BRA. e-mail: [email protected]
3
Centro de Ciências Humanas Sociais e Agrárias- CCHSA/UFPB, BRA. e-mail: [email protected]
4
Graduando de Zootecnia- CCA/UFPB, BRA. e-mail: [email protected]
5
Graduanda de Medicina Veterinária- CCA/UFPB, BRA. e-mail: [email protected]
2
Resumo: Objetivou-se com o presente estudo, descrever as características histológicas do hepatopâncreas do
camarão de água doce Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Foram utilizados 10 exemplares com o peso médio de
25.55 ± 0.72 g, coletados do Laboratório de Aquicultura do CCHSA/UFPB. Após a captura, os animais foram
anestesiados para dissecação e coleta do hepatopâncreas. As amostras da porção medial do órgão foram fixadas
em formol a 10% e submetidos ao protocolo histológico padrão. As características histológicas foram
avaliadas com programa de captura de imagens digitais Motic Image Plus 2.0. Observou-se que o
hepatopâncreas da espécie estudada é constituído por um conjunto de túbulos de fundo cego, sendo que cada
túbulo é dividido em três regiões (proximal, média e distal), com epitélio pseudo-estratificado formado por
cinco tipos de células: E (indiferenciadas); células F (fibrilar); células B (vesicular), a mais prevalente; células
R (reabsorção) é células M (basal). Portanto, cada tipo celular realiza funções específicas no hepatopâncreas,
tais como, renovação do epitélio, síntese de proteína, absorção de nutriente, armazenamento de glicogênio e
armazenamento de nutrientes respectivamente. Porém, em estudos semelhantes com espécie de camarão
(Litopenaeus vannamei) foram encontradas apenas quatro tipos de células (E, F, B, R). Apesar dos achados,
mais estudos são necessários para descrever as alterações quantitativas de cada tipo celular durante os estágios
de muda do M. rosenbergii.
Palavras–chave: carcinicultura, glândula digestiva, histologia
Histological characteristics of hepatopancreas of freshwater Shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)1
Abstract: This study aimed to describe the histological characteristics of the hepatopancreas of freshwater
shrimp Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Ten specimens were used with the average weight of 25.55 ± 0.72 g,
collected from the Aquaculture Laboratory of CCHSA/UFPB. After capture, the animals were anesthetized by
cooling, for dissection and excision of the cephalothorax and collecting of the hepatopancreas. Samples of the
medial portion were fixed in 10% formalin and subjected to histological standard protocol. The histological
characteristics were evaluated with digital image capture program Motic Image Plus 2.0. It was observed that
the hepatopancreas of the M. rosenbergii is constituted by a set of blind-end tubules that can be differentiated
into three regions (proximal, medial and distal). These tubules presented pseudo-stratified epithelium with five
cell types: E cells (undifferentiated); F cells (fibrillar); B cells (vesicular), the most prevalent along the
hepatopancreatic tubules; R cells (resorption); and M cells (basal). Therefore, every cell type have specific
functions in the hepatopancreas such as epithelial renewal, protein synthesis, nutrient uptake, glycogen storage
and storage of nutrients respectively. However, in similar studies with shrimp species (Litopenaeus vannamei)
were found only four types of cells (E, F, B, R). Nevertheless, more studies are needed to describe the
quantitative alterations of each cell type during the stages of change of M. rosenbergii.
Keywords: shrimp aquaculture, digestive gland, histology
Introduction
Freshwater shrimp aquaculture has resumed its growth in the last decade, especially with the creation
of Macrobrachium shrimp. The exotic Macrobrachium rosenbergii (shrimp of Malaysia) is the one that is best
suited for commercial activity, exceeding other species because of their rapid growth, omnivorousness, high
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52a Reunião Anual da Sociedade Brasileira de
Zootecnia
Zootecnia: Otimizando Recursos e Potencialidades
Belo Horizonte – MG, 19 a 23 de Julho de 2015
fertility and fecundity, and good market acceptance (Marzarotto, 2013). However, it is a species which has
limited scientific information, primarily on its internal biology.
The digestive system of decapods consists of the foregut (formed by the esophagus and proventriculus),
the midgut, a tubular region associated with the midgut gland (hepatopancreas), and the hindgut which includes
the rectum and the anus. The hepatopancreas is the main organ of the digestive system of shellfish, representing
2-6% of total body weight (Nunes et al., 2014). Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe, for the first
time, the histological characteristics of hepatopancreas of M. rosenbergii shrimp.
Material e Methods
For this study, 10 samples of freshwater Macrobrachium rosenbergii shrimp were used, with an
average weight of 25.55 ± 0.72 g. The animals were collected from the fattening nursery of the Aquaculture
Laboratory of the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), at the Center for Social, Human and Agricultural
Sciences (CCHSA) in the city of Bananeiras, Paraíba, located in the Paraíba micro region called Brejo. After
capture, the animals were anesthetized by cooling, for dissection and excision of the carapace and the
collecting of the hepatopancreas. Samples of the medial body portion were fixed in 10% formalin. The
standard histological processing was carried out in the Histology Laboratory of the Graduate Program in
Animal Science, in the city of Areia - UFPB. Five µm thick cuts were performed on the paraffin blocks with
a microtome, and then stained with hematoxylin and eosin. To identify the cells, 2 photomicrographs were
digitalized per animal with 5x lens in an Olympus BX-60 microscope and a Zeiss AxioCam camera coupled
with the digital image capture program Motic Image Plus 2.0.
Results and Discussion
The hepatopancreas is defined as the joining of the liver, pancreas, midgut glands, gastric gland,
digestive gland, anterior cecum, digestive diverticula, digestive organ, and mid intestinal gland. This organ
consists of a set of blind-end tubules that connect to the main digestive tract, thus, the digestive tubules are
immersed in the hemolymph, and joined by a connective tissue consisting of well-defined collagen fibers
(Marques Junior, 2006).
According to Ribeiro et al (2014) the hepatopancreatic tubule is coated with a pseudo-stratified
epithelium that is based on the basal membrane, and each tubule can be differentiated into three regions
(proximal, medial and distal). The epithelium of the hepatopancreatic tubules consists of five cell types which
are E cells (undifferentiated), F cells (fibrillar), B cells (vesicular), R cells (resorption), and M cells (basal).
The B cell is the most prevalent, as is found in Macrobrachium amozonicum shrimp (Marques Junior, 2006).
In our study, the E cells were cuboid and undifferentiated. These cells have a large nucleus that occupies
most of the cytoplasm volume. This cell type has a brush border region and is located in the distal region of
the hepatopancreatic tubule. It is an undifferentiated cell, responsible for the mitotic division for the renewal
of the tubular epithelium, which corroborates the results found in the Macrobrachium amozonicum species
(Vicentini et al, 2009).
M cells are known by the continuous accumulation of dense organic material, which occupies the entire
cell volume (Marques Junior, 2006). In our study, they had a triangular shape with a rounded apex remaining
in contact with the basal lamina, in which the rounded basal nucleus with several nucleoli and the cytoplasm
showed intense basophilia. This cell has its base resting on the basal membrane and its apex does not reach
the lumen of the hepatopancreatic tubule, therefore it has no brush border region, which corroborates the
results described for the Macrobrachium amozonicum species (Vicentini et al, 2009). According to this same
author, the M cell gradually matures toward the proximal end of the hepatopancreatic tubule and the structural
changes of this cell are connected to the stages of change cycle.
The F cell had a nucleus located near the basal region of the cell, was cylindrical or triangular in shape
with a rounded apex. This cell showed a conspicuous region presenting a lumen brush border, a large and
rounded nucleus and cytoplasm with intense basophilia when compared to other cell types, which also
corroborates the findings for Macrobrachium amozonicum species (Ribeiro et al, 2014). The F cell has a high
rate of protein synthesis and is responsible for producing digestive enzymes (Vicentini et al, 2009).
The B cells could be distinguished from the F cells, having a globular shape with a flat basal nucleus.
They are larger among the cell types of the hepatopancreas. Their cytoplasm had several pinocytotic apical
vacuoles and a large subapical vacuole. The subapical vacuole occupies most of the cytoplasm. B cells are
abundant in the medial and the distal regions of the tubule, decreasing frequency as the secretory tubule
approaches the main tubule, which also corroborates the results found for the Macrobrachium amozonicum
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52a Reunião Anual da Sociedade Brasileira de
Zootecnia
Zootecnia: Otimizando Recursos e Potencialidades
Belo Horizonte – MG, 19 a 23 de Julho de 2015
species (Vicentini et al, 2009). The same author points out that the B cells are involved in the absorption of
nutrients from the light of the hepatopancreatic tubule.
According to Wang et al (2014), the most abundant cells in the hepatopancreatic tubules of the
decapods are the R cells, which in our study were also the most prevalent. The nuclei of these cells were
located in the basal region and were columnar, usually with multiple vacuoles; however they could also present
paving stone shape, with acidophilus, granular cytoplasm with brush border. This cell type is located in the
proximal and medial regions of the hepatopancreatic tubule, which also corroborates the results found in
Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp species (Wang et al, 2014). This author points out that the R cells have the
function of storing nutrients, mainly in the form of droplets of lipids and glycogen.
Conclusions
Five types of cells are observed in the hepatopancreatic tubules of Macrobrachium rosenbergii, which
differentiate as they move towards the proximal tubule.
The amount of cells of the studied species is different from that of the Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp
species, which has only 4 types of cells (E, B, F and R).
The amount and the characteristics of the cells are identical to those of the Macrobrachium amozonicum
species.
Nevertheless, more studies are needed to describe the morphological and quantitative alterations of
each cell type during the stages of change of Macrobrachium rosenbergii, in order to act as subsidy for future
nutritional studies and species management.
References
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