AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION CENTRE www.arccjournals.com *Corresponding author’s e-mail: drsuchits@gmail.com Indian J. Anim. Res., 53(10) 2019: 1340-1343 Print ISSN:0367-6722 / Online ISSN:0976-0555 Light and Electron microscopic studies on the sperm host glands in Punjab white quail S.V. Sukhadeve*, Neelam Bansal and Devendra Pathak Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana-141 004, Punjab, India. Received: 07-06-2018 Accepted: 06-09-2018 DOI: 10.18805/ijar.B-3655 ABSTRACT The present work was conducted on oviduct of 42 Punjab white quails to observe the histomorphochemical and ultrastructural details of sperm host glands. The tissue samples were collected from the uterovaginal and infundiomagnal junctions of the oviduct in 10% NBF and 2.5% glutaralehyde solutions and processed for histological and electronmicroscopic studies. Fresh tissue samples were collected for cryostat sectioning to demonstrate lipids. It was observed that the UVJ was lined by pseudostratified columnar epithelium with ciliated, non ciliated cells, goblet cells and basal cells. The sperm host glands extended into lamina propria of UVJ as oval, rounded and straight tubules. The proximal part of glandular neck was lined by pseudostratified columnar ciliated epithelium and distal part with non ciliated columnar cells. The ciliated cells showed cilia and microvilli on the apical surface in the neck region, whereas the non ciliated cells present in the distal part of SHG had oval or elongated nuclei in their basal part and were studded with some of the microvilli in their luminal surface. These glands were surrounded by some of the smooth muscle cells and nerve fibers. Histochemical studies revealed a moderate to strong reaction of acid and neutral mucopolysaccharides and lipids whereas reaction for basic proteins was weak in the supranuclear part of SHG. Key words: Electronmicroscopy, Histochemistry, Histology, Punjab white quail, Sperm host glands. INTRODUCTION The spermatozoa are stored in the sperm host glands (SHG) located in the distal half of the oviduct of almost all the avian species and sperms are released from these glands as and when required for fertilization (Bakst, 1993). These were first recognized as sperm nests by Van Drimmelen (1946), vaginal glands by Fuji (1963), sperm glands by Van Krey et al. (1967), uterovaginal sperm host glands by Gilbert et al. (1968) and sperm storage glands by Burke et al. (1972). The spermatozoa are kept viable in these glands for about 30 days in chicken and approximately 7 days in Japanese quail. The fine structure of sperm host glands has been described in fowl (Koyanagi and Nishiyama, 1981), turkey (King et al. 1999), chicken (Das, 2003) and domestic duck (Rao and Vijayragvan, 2000), but scanty information is available on the histomorphology of sperm host glands in quail (Bansal et al. 2013), so the present study was aimed to elucidate the histomorphochemical and ultrastructral studies on the sperm host glands of Punjab white quail. MATERIALS AND METHODS The tissue samples were collected from uterovaginal junction (UVJ) of the oviducts of 42 Punjab white quails (PWQ) of different age groups available at poultry farm, GADVASU, Ludhiana. Based on the age, the birds were divided into seven groups (six in each) as 8 weeks (Group I), 12 weeks (Group II), 16 weeks (Group III), 20 weeks (Group IV), 24 weeks (Group V), 28 weeks (Group VI) and 32 weeks (Group VII). After sacrificing the birds, the tissue samples from infundibulo-magnal junction and utero-vaginal junction were collected in 10% NBF and processed as per Acetone benzene technique (Luna, 1968). The serial sections of 5 μm were cut and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for routine morphology, Masson’s trichrome for collagen fibers, Periodic Acid Schiff for neutral mucopolysaccharides and Bromphenol blue for basic proteins. For demonstration of total lipids, cryostat sections were stained with Sudan black B. For electron microscopy, small tissue samples were fixed in Karnovsky’s fixative (2.5% glutaraldehyde and 2% paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution) for 8- 12 hours followed by secondary fixation in 2% osmium tetraoxide for 2 hours. After dehydration, the tissue was embedded in an Epon-Araldite mixture. The ultrathin sections of 70-90 nm thickness were cut and collected on uncoated copper grids. These grids were stained with uranyl acetate for 15 min followed by lead citrate for 10 min and finally examined under transmission electron microscope for detailed study of sperm host glands. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Histology: The epithelium at UVJ was lined by pseudostratified columnar type containing ciliated, non- ciliated, goblet and basal cells. Abundance of tubular glands was present in the lamina propria of mucosal folds with a