Structural Insights into the Foregut of the Arabian Jerboa ( <i>Jaculus loftusi</i> ): A Combined Anatomical, Morphological, and Histological Study

Abstract

The current work provides a comprehensive structural insight into the foregut of the Arabian jerboa (Jaculus loftusi), using anatomical examination with histological and histochemical methods. The research included five adult male jerboas, collected from Aljouf desert in Saudi Arabia. The foregut consisted of an esophagus and a unilocular stomach, which matched the anatomy of most rodents. The esophageal mucosa has longitudinal folds, lined by keratinized epithelium, presenting a star-shaped lumen. The lamina propria lacked both lymphatic nodules and esophageal glands. The gastric lining consisted of simple columnar epithelium, which formed deep rugae while displaying multiple gastric pits. The fundic glands contained mucous neck cells, parietal cells, and chief cells, whereas the corpus glands were longer and denser, and the pyloric glands were coiled, lacking aforementioned cells. The histochemical analysis revealed that the gastric mucosa, along with the pit surface lining cells, exhibited strong Periodic Acid Schiff positivity and mild Alcian Blue staining. The stomach epithelium exhibits dominance of neutral mucins over acidic mucins as indicated by the histochemical analysis. The obtained results provide a comprehensive insight into the modifications of the Arabian jerboa's foregut, highlighting its architectural specializations for the desert habitat.