The Goldfish Limbus as a Specialized Epithelial-Stromal Microenvironment: Histological, Immunohistochemical, and Ultrastructural Characterization.
8 affiliations
- 1Department of Cell and Tissues, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt.
- 2Department of Histology and Anatomy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Badr University in Assiut, Assiut 71511, Egypt.
- 3Department of Biology, Turabah University College, Taif University, Al-Taif 21974, Saudi Arabia.
- 4Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
- 5Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 21959, Saudi Arabia.
- 6Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 960, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
- 7Department for the Promotion of Human Sciences and Quality of Life, San Raffaele University, 00166 Rome, Italy.
- 8Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy.
Abstract
The limbus is a specialized region of the ocular surface, but its structural organization in teleosts remains poorly documented. This study provides the first integrated histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural analysis of the goldfish limbus. The limbal epithelium consisted of stratified non-keratinized epithelial cells supported by a markedly undulating basement membrane and prominent epithelial ridges. The underlying stroma contained collagen fibers, fibroblasts, blood vessels, immune cells, melanocytes, and numerous telocytes. CD117 immunoreactivity was detected mainly in scattered basal and parabasal epithelial cells, with occasional positive stromal cells and telocytes, whereas E-cadherin showed strong membranous expression throughout the epithelium. Ultrastructurally, basal epithelial cells exhibited abundant mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and vesicles and were connected by numerous desmosomes and membrane interdigitations. Telocytes displayed elongated moniliform telopodes forming an extensive stromal network, while mast cells, macrophages, and lymphocytes were observed within the epithelial compartment. These findings demonstrate that the goldfish limbus is a structurally complex epithelial-stromal region containing diverse cellular populations. The study provides a morphological framework for future investigations into epithelial maintenance, cellular interactions, and regenerative mechanisms at the teleost ocular surface.
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BibTeX
@article{mokhtar2026goldfish,
title = {{The Goldfish Limbus as a Specialized Epithelial-Stromal Microenvironment: Histological, Immunohistochemical, and Ultrastructural Characterization.}},
author = {Doaa M Mokhtar and Manal T Hussein and Eman Fayad and Maha Alsunbul and Mai A Al-Mosaibih and Fahmy Gad Elsaid and Anthea Miller and Giacomo Zaccone},
journal = {Veterinary sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/vetsci13101004},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944100},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Goldfish Limbus as a Specialized Epithelial-Stromal Microenvironment: Histological, Immunohistochemical, and Ultrastructural Characterization.
AU - Doaa M Mokhtar
AU - Manal T Hussein
AU - Eman Fayad
AU - Maha Alsunbul
AU - Mai A Al-Mosaibih
AU - Fahmy Gad Elsaid
AU - Anthea Miller
AU - Giacomo Zaccone
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
JO - Veterinary sciences
DO - 10.3390/vetsci13101004
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944100
AB - The limbus is a specialized region of the ocular surface, but its structural organization in teleosts remains poorly documented. This study provides the first integrated histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural analysis of the goldfish limbus. The limbal epithelium consisted of stratified non-keratinized epithelial cells supported by a markedly undulating basement membrane and prominent epithelial ridges. The underlying stroma contained collagen fibers, fibroblasts, blood vessels, immune cells, melanocytes, and numerous telocytes. CD117 immunoreactivity was detected mainly in scattered basal and parabasal epithelial cells, with occasional positive stromal cells and telocytes, whereas E-cadherin showed strong membranous expression throughout the epithelium. Ultrastructurally, basal epithelial cells exhibited abundant mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and vesicles and were connected by numerous desmosomes and membrane interdigitations. Telocytes displayed elongated moniliform telopodes forming an extensive stromal network, while mast cells, macrophages, and lymphocytes were observed within the epithelial compartment. These findings demonstrate that the goldfish limbus is a structurally complex epithelial-stromal region containing diverse cellular populations. The study provides a morphological framework for future investigations into epithelial maintenance, cellular interactions, and regenerative mechanisms at the teleost ocular surface.
SN - 2306-7381
ER -