The purpose of the present study was to determine the distribution of cells containing glucagon (A), insulin (B), and somatostatin (D) in the goose pancreas. Small pieces of tissue from 5 adult geese (Anser anser) pancreases were dissected under deep ether anaesthesia. Sections were stained with Crossmon's connective tissue stain for general observations and Gomori's method for pancreatic islet cells. Sections were further processed for standard immunohistochemical techniques using the avidin-biotin-complex method for the distribution of A, B and D cells. There were no B cells inside the A islets, which were mainly composed of A cells. B islets were mainly composed of insulin-producing B cells arranged in a circular fashion around blood capillaries. Granules containing insulin were localised in blood vessel sites of the B cells. Although D cells were distributed in almost all sites of the A islets, they were mainly localised at the periphery of the B islets. D cells throughout the pancreas were more common than that of B and A cells. The distribution of cells containing insulin, glucagon and somatostatin in the goose pancreas, with small differences, was similar to that of other avian species.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the distribution of cells containing glucagon (A), insulin (B), and somatostatin (D) in the goose pancreas. Small pieces of tissue from 5 adult geese (Anser anser) pancreases were dissected under deep ether anaesthesia. Sections were stained with Crossmon's connective tissue stain for general observations and Gomori's method for pancreatic islet cells. Sections were further processed for standard immunohistochemical techniques using the avidin-biotin-complex method for the distribution of A, B and D cells. There were no B cells inside the A islets, which were mainly composed of A cells. B islets were mainly composed of insulin-producing B cells arranged in a circular fashion around blood capillaries. Granules containing insulin were localised in blood vessel sites of the B cells. Although D cells were distributed in almost all sites of the A islets, they were mainly localised at the periphery of the B islets. D cells throughout the pancreas were more common than that of B and A cells. The distribution of cells containing insulin, glucagon and somatostatin in the goose pancreas, with small differences, was similar to that of other avian species.