HISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON THE CAUDA EPIDIDYMIS AT DIFFERENT POSTNATAL AGES IN ASSAM GOAT (CAPRA HIRCUS)

The present study was conducted on eighteen male Assam goats ranging in age from day old to 10 months divided into six post natal age groups viz. group-I (0-day), group-II (2 months), group-III (4 months), group-IV (6 months), group-V (8 months) and group-VI (10 months) consisting of three animals in each group. Tissue pieces were collected from cauda epididymides and subsequently fixed in Bouin’s solution. All the tissues were processed for paraffin sections. 5-6 µ thick sections were stained for different stains for demonstration of various histochemical substances viz. McManus method for glycogen, Alcian Blue method at pH 1.0 for acid mucopolysaccaharides, Fuelgen reaction for nucleic acids and Mercuric Bromophenol Blue method for Protein. The connective tissue of the capsule and trabeculae showed an weak reaction for basic proteins in day-old  kids, while a moderate reaction was seen in the kids from 2 months of age onwards. Again, the stereo cilia and the luminal contents of the epididymal tubules showed a weak to moderate reaction to basic proteins from 4 month of age onwards. The basement membrane of the tubules were moderately reactive to glycogen in all the age groups except in day-old kids. The tubular epithelium of the cauda epididymis exhibited weak reaction to acid mucopolysaccharides in the kids from birth  to 4 months of age, and moderate reaction from 6 months onwards. The nuclei of the lining epithelium of the epididymal tubules in day old kids exhibited moderate Fuelgen reaction while the reaction was reduced in older animals.