Vol 68, No 4 (2009)
Original article
Published online: 2009-11-26
Histomorphology of prepuberal ovaries in the South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis Zimmerman, 1783)
Folia Morphol 2009;68(4):277-286.
Abstract
The South American fur seal reproductive histophysiology is scarcely described.
This study provides a histological description of prepuberal South American fur
seal (Arctocephalus australis) ovaries as well as three-dimensional reconstructions
of subcapsular crypts and primordial follicles. Ovaries from fresh dead
animals were processed for histology and sliced into serial sections. A portion
of the superficial cortex was photographed, and the images were processed
using BioVis3d software in order to generate 3-dimensional reconstructions.
A. australis prepuberal ovaries conform to the basic structure of pinnipedian species,
with a subcapsular crypts system made up of interconnecting cisternae
and tubules with multiple openings to the surface. Generally, the primordial
follicles were arranged in a monolayer beneath the tunica albuginea and were
closely associated with subcapsular crypts. The large number of interstitial cells
distributed throughout the cortex was the main histological feature in comparison
with previous reports in other seals. Three-dimensional reconstructions
modelled the subcapsular crypts microarchitecture and showed the close spatial
relationship between the crypts and the primordial follicles. Despite the
fact that the general ovarian histological structure was similar to that of other
pinnipeds, the large number of interstitial cells is a distinctive feature that raises
the question about the origin and function in A. australis with regard to the
steroidogenic activity reported in other seal species.
Keywords: Arctocephalus reproductionovarysubcapsular cryptsinterstitial cellsthree-dimensional reconstruction