The Functional Alterations of The Avian Salt Gland Subsequent to Osmotic Stress | ||
| The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine | ||
| Article 17, Volume 51, Issue 1, April 2013, Pages 346-360 PDF (722.69 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejhm.2013.15985 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Zeinab M. El–Gohary; Fawkeia I. El-Sayad; Hanaa Ali Hassan; Aya Mohammed Magdy Hamoda | ||
| Zoology Dept., Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Many terrestrial non-marine birds have functional salt glands. Their salt glands are usually quiescent. However, such glands show remarkable levels of phenotypic plasticity both morphological and physiological as a consequence of drinking saline water. Objective: The current investigation was conducted to reveal in more detail the different functional alterations of the duck`s salt glands subsequent to high salt osmotic stress. Material and methods: The selected avian species were the domestic female (Anas platyrhyncha)and the wild migratory (Anas clypeata ) ducks. Two groups of domestic and one group of wild ducks were considered in the present study , each of which included nine adult ducks. The high salt osmotic stress was induced by replacing drinking tap water of the domestic ducks with 1% sodium chloride solution for two consecutive weeks. The measured parameters were included some electrolytes in both serum and glandular tissue. Also, Na-K-ATPase activity and aldosterone concentrations were considered. Results: The present study elucidated that serum sodium, potassium, chloride and uric acid of the wild migratory ducks were markedly higher than those of both salt-stressed and control ducks. In addition, serum aldosterone concentration of the wild migratory ducks was distinctly higher in comparison with those of the control and the salt-stressed ones. Moreover, salt gland tissue homogenate electrolyte contents followed the same pattern as those of serum electrolyte concentrations. In contrast, the activity of Na-K-ATPase of the salt gland homogenates was higher in the salt-stressed ducks in comparison to both wild migratory and control groups. Conclusion: From the above mentioned results, it was concluded that the peculiar functional status of the salt gland of the experimentally salt-stressed ducks comparing to the control may be presented as an adaptive features to satisfy its special demands to eliminate the remarkable increased levels of sodium chloride load effectively. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Ducks; Salt gland; Osmotic stress; electrolytes; Na-K-ATPase | ||
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