HISTOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF MAMMARY-GLANDS DURING LACTATION IN THE RABBITS

In this work, the microscopic structure of mammary glands of rabbits d uring lactation was investigated. Five New Zealand's White rabbits wer e used as experimental animals. We conducted anatomical dissections of the udders after killing the animals and removing samples of tissue f or processing by histological and histochemical methods. Subjective an d quantitative morphometric methods were used for the evaluation of th e samples. The glandular parenchyma is the most substantial component of the mammary glands during lactation. The relative volume of glandul ar parenchyma was 66.33 +/- 14.32%. The relative volume of epithelial secretory cells was 20.54 +/- 11.23% and alveolar lumen was 45.75 +/- 16.42% from the relative volume of the glandular parenchyma. The conne ctive tissue consists of collagenous and thin tissue. Total connective tissue accounts for 32.98 +/- 13.58% during lactation. Collagenous ti ssue forms 7.20 +/- 8.02% and thin tissue forms 25.78 +/- 11.74%. The adipose tissue represents 0.69 +/- 1.78%. The alveolar differentiation was found and also quantified. The average dimensions, amount of alve oli and the relative ratio of the alveolus wall (epithelium) to the al veolus cavity (lumen), and height of epithelial cells, including nucle ocytoplasmic ratio, were investigated as well. The average dimensions of alveoli fluctuated from 53.53 mu m to 152.96 mu m. One cm(3) of the mammary gland tissue consisted of 603,860.27 +/- 451,430.27 alveoli. Correlations between single structural parts of mammary glands were ca lculated.