Anatomical Studies of the Adrenal Gland of African Giant Rat ( Cricetomys Gambianus-Waterhouse, 1840)

This study described the morphologic and microscopic features of the adrenal glands of Cricetomys gambianus (African giant rat, AGR).Twenty (20) wild AGR comprising often males and ten females were used for this study. The AGR were euthanized and adrenal glands harvested and examined morphologically and light microscopically using routine (Hand E) histological stains and Potassium Dichromate stain (PDC) for histochemistry. Morphologic data collected were subjected to statistical analysis using statistical tools (t-test and Pearson's correlation).Results revealed morphologic features of the AGR adrenal glands as paired structures, located on the superior poles of both kidneys; sexual dimorphism exit in the weight of the glands with the female glands being significantly weightier than that of the males. The length and the width of the male and female adrenal glands do not showed sexual dimorphism when values were subjected compared. Histological studies showed that the adrenal glands were divided into two broad regions, the cortex and the medulla. The adrenals exhibited structures with typical cortical zonation. Histochemical studies revealed medullary cells with high affinity for chromaffin stain, the chromaffin cells. In conclusion, the adrenal gland of the AGR is an oval-shaped paired glands, of broadly two microscopic regions, cortex and medulla. Histoarchitectural features of the gland are similar to that of other mammals.

Key Words: Adrenal gland, AGR, Histology, Histochemistry, Morphologic