Amphibian Kupffer cells (i.e., liver resident macrophages) from Bufo viridis (Bufonidae) and ptychadena mascarenensis (Ranidae) were studied by light and electron microscopy. Amphibian Kupffer cells (KC) can be divided into two principal types: "small" and "large". Both cell types possess the distinctive KC morphology and show non-specific esterase activity. In addition, they show weak endogenous peroxidase activity in the nuclear envelope and in the rough endoplasmic reticulum. The principal difference between the small and the large KC consists in the substantial quantity of inclusion bodies that exist only in the latter. In conclusion, amphibian KC, apart from their ability to build melanosomes and melanins synthesise, are very similar to endothermic KC.
Key words: Histology, Liver, Amphibia, Kupffer cells
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