Abstract
Objective:This study investigated the comparative morphological analysis of the vomeronasal organ and the accessory olfactory bulb in dogs and rabbits.Materials and Methods:A total of 15 heads obtained from each adult healthy Balady dog (Canis familiaris) and New Zealand rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) of both sexes. The animals were sedated and anesthetized. Then, the heads were removed for computing topography, gross, and cross-sectional anatomy and histological techniques.Results:The vomeronasal organ was blind bilateral tubes enclosed by J-shaped cartilage on each side of the nasal septum. In dogs, it extended from the level of the upper third premolar teeth to the third incisive teeth. While in rabbits, it had no relation with the upper teeth. In cross section, the vomeronasal organ was pear-shaped in dogs and oval in rabbits. The accessory olfactory bulb was a small oval-shaped in dogs, but larger and ovoid in rabbits with clear lamination in its structure. The vomeronasal epithelium in rabbits was higher in its thickness than that of the dog. The vomeronasal duct had medial sensory and lateral respiratory epithelium. The vomeronasal glands were voluminous and of serous type in rabbits other than were seromucous in dogs.Conclusion:The most characteristic structural variations achieved in the vomeronasal organ and the accessory olfactory bulb of the dog and rabbit gave an indication that the organ was more functional in rabbits than in dogs. The detection and response to the pheromonal stimuli were referred to as the occurrence of olfactory epithelium in the vomeronasal organ.
Highlights
The olfaction considered one of the most important senses for most mammals in our life; especially in animals whose babies born with immature visual or auditory functions to recognize their mother by their detection of certain pheromones [1,2]
This study investigated the comparative morphological analysis of the vomeronasal organ and the accessory olfactory bulb in dogs and rabbits
The most characteristic structural variations achieved in the vomeronasal organ and the accessory olfactory bulb of the dog and rabbit gave an indication that the organ was more functional in rabbits than in dogs
Summary
The olfaction considered one of the most important senses for most mammals in our life; especially in animals whose babies born with immature visual or auditory functions to recognize their mother by their detection of certain pheromones [1,2]. It is indicated that olfactory receptors occur in three places in animals, namely, olfactory epithelium, nasal septum (NS), and vomeronasal organ [3]. The vomeronasal organ is a special compound construction, sending chemical signals (pheromones) to the central nervous system to manipulate mating, and social performance. The vomeronasal duct (VD) has a sensory epithelium (SE) which their afferent axons connecting the duct with the accessory olfactory bulb [8]. The vomeronasal organ in most mammals is composed of different constituents; VD, seromucous glands, nerves, cartilage, and blood vessels (BV) [9]. The epithelium of the organ has two types, namely, non-sensory (respiratory) type and sensory type (olfactory) [3,10,11,12]. The vomeronasal SE makes the accessory olfactory system to be responsible for behavioral olfactory motivations [10]
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