Adaptive Properties of the Podocyte of a Young Domestic Pig ( <i>Sus domesticus</i> , <i>Erxleben 1777</i> ) Under Histological and Transmission Microscopy Examinations

Published data on podocyte morphology in young domesticated pigs are scarce. The current study aimed to characterize the histological and ultrastructural characteristics of the podocyte in Sus domesticus. This study depended on kidney samples from seven healthy two-month-old domestic pigs, which were collected immediately after slaughter and processed for histological and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examination. The renal cortical tissue consisted of nephron components, including renal corpuscles, proximal convoluted tubules, distal convoluted tubules and collecting tubules. TEM analysis showed that the cytoplasm contained few mitochondria and poorly developed endoplasmic reticulum cisternae. Some podocytes have a primary process that wraps around the basal lamina of the blood capillary and gives rise to small secondary cytoplasmic processes known as pedicels. The podocytes exhibited numerous pedicels resting on the glomerular basement membrane, closely associated with the underlying glomerular endothelium, and projecting towards the capillary lumen. The filtration barrier consisted of fenestrated endothelial cells, a trilaminar glomerular basement membrane and an intact podocyte layer. In conclusion, this study provides a detailed histological and ultrastructural description of podocytes in young Landrace pigs and establishes baseline morphological data that may support future comparative, developmental and functional renal investigations in Sus domesticus.