Histological Study of Ostrich Skin after Biopsy

Objective- To investigate histological structure of Ostrich skin was done. Ostrich leathers are of exotic leather types, which are in increasing demand due to their outstanding natural gain patterns formed by large feather follicles on the leather surface. Animals-Ten mature ostriches were selected from ostrich breeding center in Jupar, Kerman, Iran, all of which were in good shape and healthy condition. Procedure- For this study, some samples of ostrich skin were made from ostriches aged about 1 year old.0.5 * 0.5 cm sample of different areas of skin was made and kept in 10% formalin solution for 7 days; then, the samples were taken out. Routine histological techniques were done and 6 micron-thickness sections were cut. The sections were stained with standard Haematoxilin and Eosin (H&E) and masson trichrome and Periodic acid-Sciff(pas). The histological study was done using a light microscope and the photographs were taken for detailed illustration of the results. Results- Microscopic studies showed that the skin consisted of 2 different layers as epidermis and dermis. Epidermis consisted of the following different groups of cells, form depth to surface: basal cell – granular cell – chondrocyte shape cells and keratin cells. Dermis consisted of a dense connective tissue with both regular and irregular fibers in which the irregular part was near the epidermis. Conclusions and clinical relevance- The results of this study suggested that ostrich’s skin in either dermis or epidermis is very different from other domesticated animals; and the development of dermal connective tissue makes this skin a good model for studying wound healing and skin grafting.