Morphological and functional characteristics of lymphoid tissue in the midgut of sturgeon fish species: a case study of the sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus)

The paper presents the results of the study of the histological structure and qualitative composition of cellular elements of the haematopoietic tissue associated with the midgut of the sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus). It was shown that the lymphoid tissue of the sterlet intestine contains islands of lymphoid tissue bounded by reticular tissue/mucosa, as well as lymphocytes associated with the mucosa (intraepithelial) and with the intestinal mucosal plate (lamina propria lymphocytes). Eosinophilic cells were also found in the tissue. The most common cell types in the intestinal mucosa were intraepithelial lymphocytes (8.9 cell/100 μm) and lamina propria lymphocytes (7.1 cell/100 μm). Smears of sterlet intestinal lymphoid tissue showed the following lymphoid cell types (in descending order): lymphocytes (64.4%), prolymphocytes (6.5%), plasmocytes (3.9%), lymphoblasts (2.9%) and proplasmocytes (1.5%). Morphometric changes in a number of lymphoid cells in lymphoid tissue smears were expressed as a decrease in the size of the nucleus and cytoplasm. The morphology, qualitative cell composition and functional characteristics allowed the classification of the lymphoid tissue of the sterlet intestine as intestine-associated lymphoid tissue. The results obtained can be used to assess the immune status of cultured fish, to determine the effectiveness of immunomodulatory feeds and feed additives, to monitor and diagnose wild fish populations, and to contribute to the understanding of the evolution of ray-finned fish.

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