Morphological, histological and ultrastructural studies on the exocrine pancreas of goose

The present work was aimed to study the morphological and histological features of goose pancreas and to investigate the ultrastructure of pancreatic acini. This study was conducted on the pancreas of ten healthy mature birds of goose. The pancreas was excised from the duodenum rapidly after slaughter of the birds. The specimens were fixed in 10% buffered neutral formalin then processed for light and electron microscopic study. The macroscopic observations revealed that goose pancreas was located in the right side of the abdomen between the ascending and descending loops of duodenum. It was formed from dorsal, splenic, ventral and third lobes. The histological observations revealed that the pancreas was formed of lobules of serous acini. The secretory acinus unit was appearing as a single spherical mass composed of many serous cells surrounding narrow lumen. The pyramidal acinar cells appeared bizonal structure; the basal basophilic cytoplasm and apical acidophilic cytoplasm. Centroacinar cells were slightly smaller cells that appeared brighter than the acinar cells and were located in the center of the lumen of the acinus. The duct system was well developed began with the centroacinar cells. Underneath electron microscope, the acinar cells have been two kinds, the electron dense acinar cells with electron dense cytoplasm and heterochromatic nuclei and the electron lucent acinar cells, which characterized by means of electron lucent cytoplasm, and their nuclei had considerable euchromatin, abundant endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and numerous zymogen granules, and considered active cells.