[Structure and seasonal aspects of the bat gallbladder]

Abstract

The gallbladder of the insectivorous hibernating bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus et Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) in fullness, shows a fundus, a corpus and a neck. Its wall is formed by three layers: mucous membrane, with simple columnar epithelium on a thin basal lamina, beneath which is a "lamina propria" of connective tissue with blood and lymphatic vessels; lamina muscularis, constituted by three of four parallel bundles of smooth muscle cells, arranged in circular pattern; serous membrane of loose connective tissue, with precollecting lymphatic vessels and covered by mesothelial cells. By SEM the luminal surface of mucous membrane shows more or less prominent folds delimiting irregular areas with hexa-pentagonal outlines of the apical region of epithelial cells. This latter present a convex dome aspect with numerous microvilli, not changed significantly, during the different year periods. In summer and autumn the epithelial cells are characterized by developed organelles in supranuclear cytoplasm. During the prehibernating period, chiefly the cytoplasm shows multivesicular and heterogeneous dense bodies. In summer, autumn and initial hibernating period, epithelial cell cytoplasm presents microvilli with prominent "antennulae microvilares", numerous light micropinocytosis vesicles, little rough vesicles in apical portion. The mitochondria, grouping in supranuclear and basal cytoplasm, in lethargy, are characterized by small matrix osmiophilic granules. The epithelial cells are held together near the apical surface by tight and gap junctions, and some rare desmosomes only in Rhinolophus f.e. The cell membranes are deep pleated or interdigitate with wide intercellular spaces during the prehibernating period and experimental arousing, while in lethargy and summer months these present linear outline with scanty invaginations. The Authors compared these morphological aspects of bat gallbladder with other micromammalia's one, underline particularly the functional role of dense bodies, wide intercellular spaces and apical micropinocytosis vesicles. The different seasonal ultrastructural characteristics of epithelial cells are considered in close relation to an absorbing function connecting with balance of different metabolisms.