author(s)
Ajaz Quadir, Massarat Khan, Masuood Ahmad John, Andleeb Rafiq, Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat, Neelofer Nabi, Parvaiz Sikander and Firdous Ahmad Dar

abstract
The adrenal gland of 24 broiler chickens (Gallus domesticus), divided into four groups (each group consisting of 6 birds) exposed to different hours of fasting, were observed to find out different micrometrical changes of various elements of the gland at different hours of fasting. The groups were designated according to duration of fasting stress as; a (control), B (exposed to 12 hours of fasting), C (exposed to 24 hours of fasting), D (exposed to 48 hours of fasting) and Clinically healthy samples of adrenal gland of broiler chicken were collected immediately after sacrifice following fasting stress. Paraffin sections stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin were used for micrometric studies. The measurements included capsule thickness, cellular and nuclear diameters of cortical and medullary tissue and size of medullar sinuses. Various micrometric measurements were recorded by using image analyzing ‘video test 4’ software. The average thickness of the capsule of adrenal gland was 20.82±0.492µm which showed non significant changes among different experimental groups. The average cortical cell diameter in, Peripheral Zone (PZ) and Inner Zone (IZ) of adrenal gland of the control group were 9.15±0.209µm and 6.19±0.14µm respectively, while as the nuclear diameter of these cells in the corresponding zones of the same group were 4.48±0.18µm and 4.50±0.218µm. The average medullary cell diameter in Subcapsular (SZ), Peripheral Zone (PZ) and Inner Zone (IZ) of adrenal gland of control group were 5.92±0.288µm, 9.13±0.256µm and 7.12±0.136µm respectively, while as the nuclei diameter of the cells in the corresponding zones were 4.36±0.240µm, 4.18±0.116µm and 4.49±0µm. The average diameter of medullary sinuses in SZ, PZ and IZ in the adrenal gland of control group was, 29.26±1.476µm, 53.22±1.47µm and 64.86±1.49µm. There was a significant difference in various micrometrical parameters like cellular and nuclear diameters of cortical and medullary tissue and size of medullary sinuses in different zones between the control and among the fasting groups. Results showed that fasting, caused significant adrenal gland changes, suggesting a possible role for the study of adrenal gland morphology as an indicator of chronic welfare problems in broiler