ZOOL 409
Lab Week 12
Tuesday and Thursday
TUESDAY Objectives:
Examine Female Reproductive System.
1. Slide 72, 73 -- Ovary.

Distinguish cortex from medulla (vague
boundary).
 Find primordeal follicles in the cortex.
 Try to find maturing follicles and distinguish
different stages of maturation.
o Locate oocytes, granulosa cells, thecal
cells.
 Make sure to examine a corpus luteum, a
temporary endocrine organ, included only on
Slide 72 in boxes 3, 4, and 7).
2. Slide 74 -- Oviduct.

Note mucosal folds, ciliated columnar
epithelium.
5. Mammary gland.

Slide 78 shows developing gland with
conspicuous ducts and with overlying skin of
nipple.
 Slide 79 shows an active gland with
accumulated secretory product (i.e., milk).
 Slide 80 shows an inactive gland.
Practical Quiz
The quiz for female organs presents post mortem
human material, with less-than-ideal tissue
preservation. Many details are nevertheless
recognizable.
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3. Slide 75 -- Uterus.

Distinguish myometrium and endometrium.
 Observe uterine glands and uterine stroma.
 Estimate stage of uterine development shown
on your specimen; i.e., compare with textbook
images of:
o Growing or "proliferative" endometrium,
with smooth tubular glands and numerous
mitotic figures
o Mature or "secretory" endometrium, with
very irregular epithelial lining for the
glands.
 Try to find blood vessels in the endometrial
stroma, particularly spiral arteries.
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□
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Slide 1: What organ?
____Skeletal muscle
____Glandular epithelium
Slide 2: What organ?
____Tubular glands / extensive stroma
____Smooth muscle
Slide 3: What organ?
____Smooth muscle
____Ciliated epithelium
Slide 4: What organ?
(available in 3 different stains)
____Smooth muscle
____Skeletal muscle
____Glycogen in epithelium
4. Slides 76, 77 -- Vagina.

Note stratified squamous epithelium, with its
characteristically "empty"-appearing epithelial
cells (reflecting the presence of stored
glycogen, which does not stain with H&E).
 Beneath the epithelium, note the interweaving
of smooth muscle and connective tissue, with
numerous nerves and blood vessels.
THURSDAY Objectives:
Endocrine Glands.
See reverse side of this page.
Last updated: 3 April 2013 / dgk
ZOOL 409
Tuesday and Thursday
TUESDAY Objectives: See reverse side.
THURSDAY Objectives:
Examine Endocrine Glands.
1. Slides 52, 53 -- Pancreatic islets.

Pancreatic islets of Langerhans are distinct
patches of endocrine cells, usually less
intensely stained and with a cell arrangement
(irregular, curving cords) that is distinctly
different from the exocrine acini.
2. Slides 84, 85 -- Thyroid and Parathyroid.
(Slide 36 in Boxes 1, 2, 4, 9 also also includes
thyroid gland.)
 Thyroid gland is characterized by distinct
follicles, lined by simple cuboidal epithelium
and filled with colloid (containing stored
thyroglobulin).
 The parathyroid consists of small masses of
cells, arranged in cords rather like the cells
which comprise pancreatic islets.
Lab Week 12
5. Slide 81 -- Pituitary gland.

Cells of the adenohypophysis (anterior
pituitary, pars distalis) are epithelial in origin,
form irregular clumps, and include several
different cell types (each associated with a
specific pituitary hormone. We can't identify
specific hormonal types with routine light
microscopy, but we can notice cells with
diverse staining properties (acidophils,
basophils, chromophobes).
 The neurohypophysis (posterior pituitary,
pars nervosa) is nervous tissue with a fibrous
appearance, consisting of axons from the
hypothalamus.
6. Slides 72, 73 -- Ovary.

Follicular cells of the ovary (granulosa cells
and thecal cells) comprise endocrine tissue,
with the characteristic appearance of steroidsecreting cells.
 After an ovum is released, follicular cells grow
and differentiate into the corpus luteum.
3. Slides 82, 83-- Adrenal gland.

Note distinct difference between cortex
(epithelial cells arranged in cords separated by
sinusoids) and medulla (very different cell
arrangement, derived from neural tissue).
 In the cortex, you may be able to see three
zones (zona glomerulosa nearest the capsule,
zona fasciculata, and zona reticularis nearest
the medulla), vaguely distinguished by subtle
variation in staining and in cell arrangement.
Cells of the zona fasciculata should have the
distinctive spongy appearance characteristic of
steroid manufacture and secretion, resulting
from presence of numerous lipid droplets.
4. Slides 67, 68 -- Testis.

The endocrine cells are the Leydig cells in
testicular stroma, with round euchromatic
nuclei and with the numerous lipid droplets
(giving a foamy appearance) that characterize
steroid-secreting cells.
Practical Quiz
The quiz again presents post mortem human
material, with less-than-ideal tissue preservation.
□
□
□
Slide 1: What organ?
____Cuboidal epithelium
____Colloid in follicle
Slide 2: What organ?
____Cortex
____Medulla
Slide 3: What organ?
____Endocrine tissue
____Exocrine tissue
____Duct
Last updated: 3 April 2013 / dgk