Ultrastructure of the digestive tract of Korean Leech (Erpobdella lineata)

This investigation has been carried out to examine the structure of digestive tract from Korean Leech, Erpobdella lineata, using light and electron microscope. The digestive tract is composed of mouth, pharynx, Oesophagus, six-chambered stomach, three-chambered intestine, rectum and anus. Stomach and intestine have not gastric or intestine ceca and consist of only straight tube. All digestive tracts from pharynx to rectum are covered with simple columnar epithelial cells. While the surfaces of endothelial cell of pharynx and rectum are covered with cuticular layer of about in thickness, stomach and intestine are covered with estimated and microvilli respectively. Circular folds were found only in first and second chambers of stomach, intestine and rectum, but not in pharynx and the other chambers (third to sixth) of stomach. The granules of and in diameter were observed in the cytoplasm of stomach endothelial cell. These granules were demonstrated to contain protein which showed a positive reaction to ninhydrin. It was also found that there are well-developed microvilli in the apical portion of intestine endothelial cell in which endocytosis occurs actively.