Macro - Anatomical and Light Microscopical Structures of Liver in Porcupine (Hystrix cristata)

The aim of this study was to investigate the macro-anatomical and light microscopical structures of liver in the porcupines (Hystrix cristata). For this purpose, five adult porcupines were used. The right lobe (lobus hepatis dexter) was divided into lateral and medial lobules. The left lobe was located at the left side of the midline, and it was not divided. The quadrate lobe was divided into two components by a deep notch. The caudate lobe was the smallest lobe of porcupine liver and it had two processes. Gallbladder was present. Polygonal hepatic lobules were the morphological units of the liver. V. centralis was seen in the centre of lobulus. Hepatocytes and Kupffer cells were observed in the walls of sinusoids in the liver. Hepatocytes were polyhedral cells with distinct boundaries. In conclusion, both anatomical and histological funda-mental features of the liver of porcupine were stressed and, additionally, some similarities and differences were detected between porcupine and other rodentia.