Morphological Studies on the Lips of Buffalo

Abstract

This study was carried out on the lips of twenty buffalo heads of both sexes collected from Kafrelsheikh abattoir to illustrate the morphological features of the lips by using light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The lips and the oral commissure are covered externally with thin skin and lined internally with mucous membrane. The nasolabial plate is covered with stratified squamous keratinized epithelium. The core of the lips is formed of bundles of skeletal muscles separated with connective tissue fibers.The core of the commissure is formed of bundles of skeletal muscles, collagen fibers, adipose tissue and PAS and Ab positive seromucoid glands. The core of the nasolabial plate is formed mainly of connective tissue followed by lobules of serous glands with few bundles of skeletal muscles. Tow types of hair follicles were found in the dermis of the covering skin; the ordinary and covernous types. Conical papillae are found in the internal aspect of the oral commissure, while the free border of the lips carried blunt and short papillae.

Histomorphological investigations on the lips of Rahmani sheep (Ovis aries): A scanning electron and light microscopic study

“…Moreover, the lips were also characterized by the presence of several mucosal folds or papillae separated by grooves. This confirms the results of Mansour et al (2007) in buffalo and Mahdy et al (2020) in goats.…”

“…In domestic animals, the histological structure of the lips is; outer external layer of skin and lined internally by mucous membrane containing in between them the orbicularis oris muscle, the labial vessels, nerves, connective tissue, and labial glands (Nickel et al, 1979; Saxena et al, 2007). In agreement to the present report, the labial glands of Rahmani sheep are seromucous in nature similar to that of goat and buffalo (Habata et al, 2012; Mahdy et al, 2020; Mansour et al, 2007). The Rahmani sheep labial glands may play important role in the mucosal immune system similar to that of goats as described previously by Habata et al (2012).…”

“…On the other hands, the free edges of the upper and lower lips of small and large ruminants carry short, blunt, and horny papillae (Habel, 1975). Mansour et al (2007) clarified in buffalo that the lips bear blunt and short papillae with narrow fissures between them.…”

“…The labial projections which bounded the philtrum of the upper lip extended to the planum nasale between nostrils were separated from each other by shallow vertical grooves, each projection subdivided into polygonal areas showed numerous scales of keratin which increased toward the nostril when viewed by SEM. In buffalo, the planum nasolabiale characterized by hexagonal shaped areas separated from each other by grooves with highly cornification (Mansour et al, 2007). This indicated the upper lips especially toward the nostrils are the most surfaces exposed to the surrounding environment so it highly keratinization, as it provide a tough, flexible, impermeable to reduce dehydration in animals (McMillan & Harris, 2018).…”

“…The lips are characterized by the presence of mucosal folds separated by grooves in goat (Mahdy et al, 2020), buffalo (Mansour et al, 2007). The latter authors added that these mucosal folds bear parallel microridges in buffalo (Mansour et al, 2007). In this respect, the current study showed that the mucosal folds were different in shape, thickness and orientation at the median and paramedian examined parts of the upper and lower lips.…”