Comparative Anatomical and Histomorphological Study of the Kidney in Chick (Gallus domesticus) and Albino Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Keywords:
Comparative anatomy, histomorphology, avian kidney, mammalian kidney, nephron, Gallus domesticus, Rattus norvegicuAbstract
The kidney is the principal osmoregulatory and excretory organ of vertebrates, yet its gross architecture and microscopic organisation differ considerably between classes. The present comparative study examines the anatomical and histomorphological features of the kidney in the domestic chick (Gallus domesticus) and the albino rat (Rattus norvegicus), two commonly used laboratory and biomedical model species belonging to Aves and Mammalia respectively. Gross observations focused on shape, lobation, colour, position and relation to surrounding viscera, while histological observations focused on cortico-medullary organisation, nephron population, glomerular architecture and tubular differentiation. The avian kidney was found to be elongated, trilobed and closely applied to the synsacrum, containing a mixed population of loopless (reptiliantype) and looped (mammalian-type) nephrons, whereas the rat kidney was beanshaped, unilobed and unipapillate, composed exclusively of looped nephrons arranged into a well-defined cortex, medulla and papilla. These structural differences underlie the markedly greater urine-concentrating capacity of the mammalian kidney compared with the avian kidney. The findings reinforce the value of comparative renal morphology in understanding functional adaptation, phylogeny and the choice of appropriate animal models in physiological and toxicological research
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