author(s)
KA Jadhav, JY Waghaye, PN Thakur, SD Kadam and MS Palaskar

abstract
The present study was carried out to investigate light microscopic structure and differences of splenic stroma in male and female healthy adult pigs. The capsule was outermost layer of uneven thickness at dorsal, middle and ventral aspect and showed no statistical variations in male and female pig spleen. The capsule was found to be composed of two layers namely outer fibrous layer and inner muscular layer. In both sex of pigs, it was noticed that outer fibrous layer of splenic capsule in male and female pig was composed of uneven distribution of intermingled collagen, elastic and reticular fibres. The collagen fibres were found to be predominant over the elastic and reticular fibres in outer fibrous layer of splenic capsule. The inner muscular layer of splenic capsule was composed of one to four layers of smooth muscle fibres with different orientations at different places in both male and female pig. In both sex of pig, it was observed that the branching connective tissue trabeculae extended from inner muscular layer of capsule into the splenic pulp and supported the blood vessels. The trabeculae were found to be mainly composed of smooth muscle fibres. The wavy reticular fibres were found to be predominant over other fibres types in the connective tissue trabeculae. The elastic fibres in the connective tissue trabeculae were longer and oriented parallel to the direction of smooth muscle fibres of trabeculae. The components of splenic stroma in both male and female pig were found similar.