Histological and histochemical features of roe deer skeletal muscles

TThe aim of the study is to establish the histological and histochemical characteristics of the skeletal muscles of the Siberian roe deer. The study was conducted at the Krasnoyarsk State Agrarian University in 2025. The object of the study was the skeletal muscles of the pelvic limb of the Siberian roe deer living in the Krasnoyarsk Region. The material for the histological study was pieces of the middle gluteus muscle (m.gluteusmedius) and the quadriceps femoris (m.quadricepsfemoris). Sections 5-7 μm thick, made on a semi-automatic rotary microtome, were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to identify the structural elements of skeletal muscles, connective tissue was identified using the Picro Mallory method, the Van-Gieson method was used to visualize collagen fibers, glycogen was detected using the PAS reaction, methenamine-silver P.A.S.M was used to detect basal membranes. As a result of the conducted histological and histochemical studies of the skeletal muscles of the hind limb of the roe deer, it was established that the skeletal striated muscle tissue of the studied muscles of the hind limb of the roe deer is represented by bundles of muscle fibers separated by layers of loose fibrous connective tissue, with an insignificant amount of argyrophilic collagen and single elastic fibers. The presence of glycogen in most muscle fibers of the thigh muscles indicates that they contain predominantly fast (glycolytic) fibers. Histological and histochemical studies of skeletal muscles are an important tool in veterinary medicine for identifying the structure and determining the function of muscle tissue, which is important both for the theoretical basis of comparative morphology of wild game animals and for conducting practical research in the field of veterinary-sanitary and forensic veterinary examinations.