Morphological Description of Blue Shark Liver, Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758), Elasmobranchii, Carcharhiniformes

Abstract

The liver is the largest gland in the body and plays a central role in metabolic and immune homeostasis. This body is responsible for more than 200 functions such as detoxification, storage, energy production, nutrient conversion, hormonal balance and coagulation. A study of the morphology of the liver of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) during the development phase was carried out. To describe it was used light microscopy, scanning electron and counting of liver cells in this species. The liver occupies 20% of the size of the animal. Fat is gradually accumulated in the liver tissue with the development of the animal, reaching almost 60% of the liver in animals ready to be born.