Abstract

PENA CZISCHKE, Ewert; ROMERO MENDEZ, Ingrid; VASQUEZ, Bélgica  and  DEL SOL, Mariano. Determination of the Stereological Parameters in the Kidney of the Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Int. J. Morphol. [online]. 2006, vol.24, n.3, pp. 331-334. ISSN 0717-9502.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0717-95022006000400006.

The glomerular number and volume contain important information regarding the morphofunction of the kidney.The objective of this investigation was to determine some stereological parameters, compare them to those of other investigations and determine the normalcy patterns for future experimental investigations. Five rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) kidneys from the Biotery of the Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile were used.The kidneys were dissected and set in buffered formalin at 10%, doing a brief morphological description of them and determining their volume via the Scherle method. The samples were obtained by Orientator and included in the Paraplast. One fragment of each kidney was used and serialized cuts of each one of these 5 µm were obtained, which were dyed with H-E and Masson´s Trichrome. The average volume obtained from the rabbit kidney was 11.4 mm³ ± 1.146mm³. The average number of glomerules in the kidney was 195.09 ± 84.78 x 10³ gomerules; a Nv of 17,1 ± 7.43 glomerules per mm³ and a glomerular volume of 4.2 x 10^-4 x mm³ ±0.8 x 10^-4 x mm³. The total number of rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus glomerules, is less than that obtained in sheep by Eleanor et al.(2004) of 559.000 ± 198.000 and in dogs by Horster et al. (1971) of 589.000and higher than in rats by Bertram et al. (1992) of 31.764 ± 3.667. The glomerular volume was less than in rats (6.6 x 10^-4), than in sheep 4.39x10^-4 and higher than in dogs 1.2x10^-4. These differences are encouraging, in order to determine other stereological parameters which would allow for the initiation of an experimental line of investigation in this animal .

Keywords : Kidney; Stereology; Rabbit; Oryctolagus cuniculus.