The kidney structure and hematology of tank-reared-male slender walking catfish (Clarias nieuhofii Valenciennes, 1840): From the hematopoietic tissue to the peripheral blood cells https://doi.org/10.12982/VIS.2026.071
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Abstract
The slender walking catfish Clarias nieuhofii is an economically significant species and a potential candidate for aquaculture in Thailand, but its kidney organization and hematology remain undescribed in the literature. The present study aimed to investigate the hematopoietic structure and ultrastructure of the kidney and peripheral blood cells of male C. nieuhofii obtained from a breeding site in Thailand. Their kidneys were processed for morpho-histology and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays using transmission electron microscopy. Blood cell smears were stained with the Alcian Blue/Periodic acid-Schiff method. The kidney of C. nieuhofii was a paired triangular mass comprising anterior (AK) and posterior (PK) regions characterized by renal corpuscle and hematopoietic tissue. In the AK, only hematopoietic tissue and blood capillaries were identified. Hematopoietic tissue was more prominent in the AK than the PK, and its cells were rarely positive in the TUNEL assay. Melano-macrophage centres were observed in the hematopoietic mass in both regions. The detailed hematopoietic ultrastructure was classified into three series, including erythropoiesis, granulopoiesis and lymphopoiesis, which were shared between both kidney regions. Erythropoiesis and granulopoiesis were evident than lymphopoiesis in the kidney tissue. Erythropoietic differentiation was evident. Proerythroblasts were larger than young erythrocytes. Nucleated erythrocytes were observed in peripheral blood smears. The granulopoietic series involved the development of myeloblasts into granulocytes. White blood cells, especially lymphocytes, were also identified. The present study provides useful insights into the renal adaptive histopathology and physiology of C. nieuhofii for aquaculture.
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