International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences © 2013 Available online at www.irjabs.com ISSN 2251-838X / Vol, 4 (7): 1833-1836 Science Explorer Publications Histometric characteristics of different elements in the dermis of ovis Behzad Mobini 1* , Ahmad Beiranvand 2 1. Associate Professor of Anatomical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, P.O.Box 166, Shahrekord-Iran. Tel. +98 916 8248 - Fax: +98 381 3361060 2. Graduated from School of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, P.O.Box 166, Shahrekord- Iran. Corresponding Author email: dr.mobini@iaushk.ac.ir ABSTRACT: The aim of this investigation was to study the histolometric characteristics of different elements in the dermis of ovis. A total of twelve clinically healthy Iranian Lori-Bakhtiari sheep (aged 5-8 months) were selected and categorized on the basis of sex (6 of each sex). Samples were taken as small pieces from different regions of the skin, fixed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. The determination of histolometric characteristics of different elements in the dermis were carried out using light microscope and lattice line graticule (5*5). The Student t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data and detect significant differences. Results showed that the histometric characteristics of studied different dermal structures varied between sexes and among the different body regions. Sex-related differences were found in the percentages of total follicles, blood vessels and connective tissues (P>0.05). Except for the connective tissue, the means of the other parameters in male were higher than females. This breed may be characterized by the total follicles percentages per mm² of 1.85-10.65, arrector pili muscles densities of 0±3.11, sweat glands percentages of 1.39- 6.94, connective tissues percentages of 14.35-24.07, sebaceous glands densities of 0-1.85, and blood vessels percentages of 0-3.71 per mm² in this age. It can be concluded that the general histometric characteristics of different elements in the dermis of skin in Lori-Bakhtiari are similar to those of Bakhtiari sheep, but there are also some differences. Key words: Histometry; Sex; Dermis; Ovis INTRODUCTION Skin that covers the body makes up 7-12% of the live weight. Besides its biological and immunological importance, it has an economic value as a raw material in industry (Özfiliz et al., 2002). It consists of two layers with different development and features: Epidermis and dermis (Dellmann, 1993). Epidermis consists mainly of a multilayer of keratinocytes (Junqueira and Camerio, 2003). Dermis which is a connective tissue that supports epidermis can be divided into a superficial papillary layer and a deep reticular layer (Dellmann, 1993; Kurtdede, 2002; Mobini, 2012b,c). One of the main Iranian fat-tailed and native breeds is Lori-Bakhtiari which found in West and Southwest of the country especially in Charmahal va Bakhtiari province where sheep production contributes significantly to the agricultural economy. For the elucidation of histometric of different elements in the dermis of skin in ovis, some investigations have been carried out in different ovine species, such as the Bakhtiari (Mobini, 2012a,d; 2013a,b,c,d), madras red (Mir Shabir et al., 2011), Merino (Sumner and Craven, 2005; Warren et al., 2008), Omani (Mahgoub et al.,