Histomorphologic characterization of the hepatopancreas of freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879)

ABSTRACT This study aimed to describe the Macrobrachium rosenbergii hepatopancreas histomorphology. The hepatopancreas is constituted by a set of blind end tubules, divided into proximal, middle, and distal regions, with the epithelium formed by E, F, B, R, and M cells differently of other species. Measurements of the length and width of the tubules were 419.64+69.09µm and 117.42+16.99µm, respectively. The percentage of each cell type per region was: proximal region (40%B, 20%F, 6.7%M, 33.3%R), middle region (45.4%B, 18.2%F, 9.1%M, and 27.3%R) and distal region (36.4%E, 27.2%B, 18.2%F, 9.1%M, 9.1%R). Cell B that stores glycogen and lipids, is the most commonly found cell in proximal and middle regions. In the distal region, the E, responsible for the mitosis, is the most prominent. M, responsible by nutrient storage, is numerically constant among the portions differently in the Macrobrachium amazonicum. The study for the first time also suggests that in addition to digestive enzymes, the F cell produces protective mucus. The present study generated for the first time a morphometric profile of M. rosenbergii hepatopancreas, demonstrating differences from other species, and can be an important tool for new studies in nutrition, reproduction, and production with the species.