Histomorphological changes in the goat, Capra hircus L. rumen during different stages of gestation

Abstract

Understanding the fetal development is essential to treat different anomalies of livestock after birth. Biological and anatomical data on the developing rumen of goat is scanty. Here, we investigated histomorphological changes in the ruminal part of the fore stomach of the goat, Capra hircus L. to elucidate the transformation of rumen prior to its functional state. For this study, 36 developing rumen were collected from healthy and normal embryos/foeti of either sex of goat from the first stage of prenatal life until birth. Tissues were processed by paraffin embedding technique and sections were stained. Definite four layers of the tubular structure were elucidated first at 51 days of gestation. We observed the ruminal wall lined by undifferentiated stratified epithelium up to 100 days which gradually became stratified squamous keratinized epithelium at 145 days of foetal life. Throughout the gestation lamina muscularis was absent. Reticular fibers evident first followed by collagen and elastic fibers. The prenatal development of the goat ruminal mucosa evidenced a considerable resemblance with the post natal rumen; however, certain morphological changes are still incomplete in order to meet the functional demands in postnatal life.