Morphology and histochemistry of the mast cells of snakes

✍ Scribed by Dagoberto Sottovia-Filho

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1974
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 645 KB
• Volume: 142
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0362-2525
• DOI: 10.1002/jmor.1051420106

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Mast cells were demonstrated in eight species of snakes, using special fixation techniques to prevent solubilization of cytoplasmic granules. Toluidine blue O and azure A were the major stains and observations were made under light microscope including cytophotometric analysis.

The mast cells of snakes were shown to be relatively small (7–11 μ in diameter) when compared to mast cells of a lizard (8–15 μ), dog and rat (9–15 μ).

Among the various organs examined, mast cells were particularly numerous in the mesentery, tongue, underneath the serosa of the digestive tract and in the heart, between muscle fibers and in the epicardium.

Although under the light microscope some snake mast cells seemed to be orthochromatically stained, when analysed by cytophotometry they were demonstrated to be actually metachromatic.

Snake mast cells granules were demonstrated to have an amphoteric behavior, since they were stained with both basic (toluidine blue O and azure A) and acid dyes (eosin and ponceau‐acid‐fuchsin).