Light and Electron Microscopy of Buccal Salivary Glands of the Dromedary Camel

The study was aimed to investigate the light and electron microscopic structure of buccal salivary glands in the dromedary (Camelus dromedarius). Anatomically, the dromedary camel buccal glands were well-developed and were located on the lateral side of the cheek. Three parts (groups) of the buccal glands could be observed: dorsal, middle and ventral parts. Histologically, the secretory units were tubule-acinar, surrounded by myo-epithelial cells and supported by connective tissue. Whereas, the dorsal glands were purely mucous and the ventral glands were purely serous in secretion, the middle ones were muco-serous with predominant mucous cells. Ultra-structurally, the glandular cells of the serous secretory units (type I cells) contained numerous microvilli, many electron-dense secretory granules, abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. On the other hand, the mucous-secreting cells (type II cells) appeared with numerous electron-translucent supra-nuclear granules and flat basal nuclei; dilated tubules of rough endoplasmic reticulum; fewer mitochondria and Golgi bodies were also observed. The obtained results have been compared with the previous reports on salivary glands of camel and other mammalian species.