Light and electron microscopic study of Haematopoiesis in the spleen of two freshwater catfishes, Horabagrus brachysoma and Heteropneustes fossilis, of Kerala
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Haematopoiesis is the tissue-specific and developmentally regulated formation of mature blood cells from uncommitted stem cells through proliferation, commitment, and differentiation. In teleosts, blood cell formation occurs at more than one site: the head and trunk kidneys, spleen, thymus, and lymphoid tissue. In the present study, the characteristics of developing blood cells in the spleens of two indigenous freshwater catfishes in Kerala, Horabagrus brachysoma and Heteropneustes fossilis, were examined using imprint, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. The spleen of the catfishes exhibited a few developmental stages of erythropoiesis, granulopoiesis, and lymphopoiesis, indicating the organ’s role in haematopoiesis. There was a dominance of erythroid and lymphoid cells and macrophages. Lymphoid cells were usually present as aggregates in the spleen of the catfishes. The study described the ultrastructural morphology of the splenic net and the associated cells in the sections of the studied catfishes’ spleen. The network of interconnected reticular cells and fibres form the meshwork for the proliferation of haematopoietic tissue and the pathway for senescent RBCs. The current work augments the available literature by providing an elaborate and complete description of the haematopoiesis in the spleen of H. brachysoma and H. fossilis.
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