Osmiophilic inclus
Osmiophilic inclusions in the Type-II pneumonocyte in the lung of the dromedary camel
Fatimah. A. Alhomaid
Department of Biology - College of Science and Arts Al-Qassim University, Saudi Arabia
Abstract: Small stripes of the camel’s lung were examined with the TEM. Type-II pneumonocytes appeared as large rounded cells occupying the niches and the corners of the alveolar walls. They showed microvilli on their free surface and adjoining the Type-1 pneumocytes through desmosomes. Their cytoplasm was rich with organoids. The most peculiar feature of this cell was the osmiophilic inclusion bodies which were thought to contain surfactant material or its precursor. Some of these inclusions appeared vacuolated or possessed homogenous density. Others showed lighter osmiophilic material accumulated around a heavily osmiophilic core or they appeared lamellated. It seems possible that this morphological difference may well be related to the difference in the chemical constituents of these inclusion bodies.
[Fatimah. A. Alhomaid. Osmiophilic inclusions in the Type-II pneumonocyte in the lung of the dromedary camel. Life Sci J 2013;10(1):3393-3402]. (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 1
Key words: Type-II cell, lamellar bodies, lamellar bodies, inclusion bodies.