Comparative Histological Study of Exocrine Pancreas in Duck (Anas platyrhnchos) and Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Abstract

Due to the importance of the pancreas and its secretion in the digestive tract of
birds, this study was carried out to compare the histological structure of the exocrine
pancreas in ducks and turkeys, these birds differ in their habitats and classification.
The samples of the pancreas were taken from ten local male mature ducks and ten
local male mature turkeys. This study found the pancreas in ducks and turkeys surrounded by a capsule and composed of exocrine and endocrine parts. The exocrine
part in both birds consisted of the acini and ductal system in different diameters. The
acini were varied in size and shape. The acini represented secretory unites of exocrine
part, which in ducks were rounded, oval, or tubular, but turkey pancreatic acini had
mainly tubular shapes. The pancreatic ductal system is started by centroacinar cells
then drains to intercalated ducts, intralobular ducts, and interlobular ducts then to the
main ducts, which open in the duodenum. The wall of the main ducts of the duck
pancreas contained ductal glands, while these glands were not found in the main ducts
of the turkey pancreas. The present study concluded that the capsules of the turkey
pancreas were thicker than in the duck pancreas and the turkeys need a greater
amount of digestive enzymes, which are related to bird food components. The digestive enzymes modified adaptively by the diet components and also modified by feeding ecology, which leads to an increase in the turkey acini size and the height of their
acinar cells.