AMORPHOLOGICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE LIVER AND PANCREAS OF SMALL INDIAN MONGOOSE (Herpestes Javanicus)

The present study was carried out to identify the morphological description and histological structureof liver and pancreas in mongoose . Six adult males mongoose from Al-Basra province were used inthis study and were transferred to the anatomy branch of veterinary medicine, and were sacrificed forcollecting the livers , pancreas and fixation 10% formalin. The morphological study revealed that theliver in adult mongoose was located in cranial part of abdominal cavity , caudal and ventrally to theheart and was associated with stomach .the mongoose's liver is composed of six chief lobes.Histological examination result revealed that the liver consist of several lobules separated from eachother by trabeculae of connective tissue extend from the basic unit of the parenchyma of liver ishepatocyte which arranged in plates or cords like that radiated around the central vein and betweenthese cords there is sinusoids lined by a layer of fenestrated endothelial cells and Kupffer's cells .in theboundary of each lobule showed portal area which consist of hepatic artery : hepatic vein and bile ductlining by cuboidal cells .The result appeared that the pancreas in adult mongoose is roughly U in shape, it has yellow palecolor and lies rather to the dorsal side of the duodenum, between it and the stomach . it has divided intothree parts, the right lobe, body, and left lobe . the pancreas is composed exocrine and endocrine tissues.The exocrine portion consists of clusters of pyramidal cells, which are mostly organized in acini. thecells have a dark basophilic cytoplasm, distinct basal nuclei, and many large eosinophilic zymogengranules containing enzymes ,Trypsinogen and Chymotrypsinogen responsible for the digestion ofproteins, carbohydrates, fats and nucleotides. The endocrine portion of the pancreas consist of smallclusters of glandular epithelial cells called pancreatic islets (islets of Langerhans). However , the lackof studies in Iraq on this type, so this study came to provide us with information on the major glands ofthe digestive system.