Morphological and histochemical characteristics of four-month chikens' oviduct
The structural and functional changes of four-month chickens’ oviduct are studied and represented in this work. Using methods of modern histochemistry the presence of carbohydrate components (glycogen, neutral, acidic sulphated and sialomucoproteins, acidic sulphated proteoglycans, hyaluronates) and RNA was detected in the organ tissue. In chickens the oviduct is not differentiated into sections visually at four months of age. It is a tubular organ 9,2±4,47 cm in length and 0,3±1,91 cm in width. The cranial part of the oviduct is located near the ovary, and the caudal part is opened in the cloaca. In chickens at four months of age the process of differentiation of the oviduct into sections begins and the oviduct is fully formed by 5-6 months of age (puberty comes). Throughout the wall of the oviduct consists of three membranes: internal - mucous, medium -muscular and external - serous. The mucous membrane consists of the surface epithelium and its own plate. The muscular membrane is formed by smooth muscle tissue and consists of two layers: the inner - circular and outer -longitudinal. The serous membrane consists of a thin layer of connective tissue covered with a single-layer of squamose epithelium. As a result of our studies, we found that chickens at four months of age have not reached puberty yet, and for this reason the process of egg formation has not begun. The accumulation of nutritional and energy substances, in particular, glycogen, occurs in the cells of the epithelial layer. In the middle part (protein and shell section) this process is much faster than in the cranial (funnel) and caudal (vaginal section) parts. In our opinion, the accumulation of carbohydrate and protein components in the middle part of the oviduct before puberty, suggests increasing metabolic processes in cells and tissues, which lead to a number of histological and histochemical changes designated to producing the formation of organ tissues and preparing it to the beginning of egg-laying.