HISTOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON THE VULVA OF SHE-CAMEL

Mahmoud Abdelghaffar Emam1, Ihab El-zoghby1 and Badia Abughrien2

Abstract

Ten adult she-camels were used to study histological structure of the vulva and the immunohitochemical localization of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and progesterone receptor (PR). Histologically, the vulvar lip consists of mucosal surface, cutaneous surface and connective tissue core. The mucous surface is lined with keratinized stratified squamous epithelium while the cutaneous surface is covered with skin and its appendages except sweat gland. Immunohistochemically, ERα is identified in the epithelia of both surfaces of the vulva but PR is not identified in the skin of vulva of camel. Both ERα and PR are localized in the nuclei of the basal and parabasal cell layers in the vulvar epithelia indicating their role in growth and differentiation.

Key words

Histology, estrogen receptor alpha, progesterone receptor, vulva, camel.