Microscopic and micrometric analysis of jejunal development in Japanese quail

The present study was conducted to record age-wise postnatal developmental changes in the jejunum of 48 Japanese quails. Various dimensions, including the thickness of different layers of the jejunal wall, villus height and width, the height of columnar cells at the villus and crypt, the diameter of intestinal glands, and the lumen diameter of the jejunum, were measured at 7, 14, 21, and 42 days post-hatch. Histologically, the thicknesses of the tunica mucosa, tunica muscularis, and tunica serosa, as well as villus height and width, the height of columnar cells at the villus and crypt, the diameter of intestinal glands, and the lumen diameter, increased significantly with age. The surface epithelium was simple columnar and comprised chief cells, goblet cells, intraepithelial lymphocytes, and globular leukocytes. Ultra structurally, the principal absorptive cells were tall, columnar-shaped, with a striated border on the luminal surface made up of numerous microvilli and a large, basally located prominent nucleus. Goblet cells were scattered over the surface of the villi. The majority of goblet cells appeared as empty cells containing some secretory material inside.