Morphological and Morphometric Variations of Erythrocytes in Clarias Gariepinus, Bufo Bufo, and Agama Agama Using Some Histological Stains.

Introduction: Erythrocytes are highly specialized and the most abundant cell type in vertebrates' blood. Their primary function is the transportation of oxygen to tissues of the body via hemoglobin. Methods: The study was aimed at evaluating erythrocyte morphology in Clarias gariepinus (C. gariepinus), Bufo bufo (B. bufo), and Agama agama (A. agama) using different stains; Also, morphometric analysis of erythrocytes was evaluated in stains with the best affinity. The blood samples of C. gariepinus, B. bufo, and A. agama were collected using a syringe. Smears from each animal were made on glass slides and stained with Giemsa, Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and methylene blue. Erythrocytes diameter was measured using a standardized ocular micrometer. The area and volume of the erythrocytes were calculated. Results: Erythrocyte's shapes range from spherical in C. gariepinus to oval in A. agama. Giemsa demonstrated C. gariepinus and B. bufo erythrocytes better than H&E and methylene blue stains, while H&E demonstrated erythrocytes of A. agama better than Giemsa and methylene blue. Erythrocyte's diameter, area, and volume of B. bufo were significantly higher (P<0.001) when compared with C. gariepinus and A. agama. Conclusion: Erythrocyte's shape, size, area, and volume vary in different species and could be used to study evolutionary trends. The variation in erythrocytes size is associated with chromosome number and genome size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]