DIÂMETRO DAS ILHOTAS PANCREÁTICAS DO GAMBÁ Didelphis albiventris EM DESENVOLVIMENTO INTRAMARSUPIAL

Visando fornecer o diâmetro e a area de ilhotas pancreaticas do gamba D. albiventris, para estudos de transplantes endocrinos exogenos de pâncreas com provaveis perdas celulares endocrinas, e decorrentes de patologias e envelhecimento dos animais, procedeu-se ao estudo morfometrico das ilhotas deste marsupial. Foram obtidos o diâmetro medio, a partir de dois principais diâmetros, e o raio de cada ilhota da regiao esplenica do pâncreas de filhotes de gamba em desenvolvimento pelos tercos medio e final de vida marsupial. O diâmetro nao variou entre as fases citadas, mas a area de ilhota diminuiu significativamente naqueles animais do terco medio para os do terco final de vida marsupial. Naqueles do terco medio foi observada variacao significativa na area de ilhota, nao havendo, entretanto, variacao entre os animais de maior e menor comprimentos. Entre os do terco final de vida intramarsupial foram observadas oscilacoes na area de ilhota havendo, entre os animais de maior e menor comprimento CR, uma diminuicao significativa da mesma. Os resultados indicam que o diâmetro das ilhotas pancreaticas do D. albiventris, alem de pequeno em relacao ao da cobaia, diminui nos filhotes ao desmame. Pancreatic islets diameter of the intramarsupial developing opossum Didelphis albiventris Abstract Envisaging studies regarding exogenous endocrine transplants of pancreas with probable endocrine cellular losses also as a consequence of the aging and of different pathological conditions, a research has been carried out in order to measure by means of morphometric techniques, both the diameter and the area of pancreatic islet from the opossum Didelphis albiventris. The values for the average of the main diameters and the radius of each islet of the pancreatic splenic region of the opossum fetuses in development - from the third medium and the final of marsupial life - were then established. The diameter of the pancreatic isles did not vary between that phases of the fetuses development, but the area of the islets significantly diminished from the animals of the medium third up to the final third of the marsupial life. Significant variation has been found in regard to the area of the islets in those fetuses of the final third of intramarsupial life but not in regard to their body size. Among fetuses of the final third of marsupial life, it has been observed the same oscillations in the size of the islets area. Furthermore, between greater and smaller animals of this same phase, a significant reduction in the area of the pancreatic islets has been found. These results allow the conclusion that the diameter of the Didelphis albiventris pancreatic islets, besides being smaller in regard to the guinea pig ones, decreases in size in the young pouch opossum of the final third of intramarsupial life period.