Eur J Anat, 5 (3): 151-157 (2001)

The influence of altered circulating blood volume on ventricular morphogenesis in the chick embryo: Analysis by scanning electron microscopy

Murillo-Gonzalez J., Barrio-Asensio M., Perez-Miguelsanz J., Vazquez-Osorio T., Puerta-Fonolla J.

Depto. de Ciencias Morfologicas I, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain

ABSTRACT Cardiac morphogenesis represents a balance of myocardial differentiation, growth and remodelling, and congenital cardiovascular malformations likely reflect a range of similar final common pathways generated by numerous primary genetic and environmental abnormalities. In the present work, we analyzed the morphology of the developing ventricle in the chick embryo following experimental alterations in total circulating volume. In parallel experiments, we injected three different volumes of blood into a branch of the right vitelline vein at stages 22, 25 and 29 of Hamburger and Hamilton (n?10 per group). The embryos were reincubated to stage 35 of Hamburger and Hamilton and then processed for morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy. 39% of the surviving operated embryos contained ventricular malformations, including disordered trabeculation and patterns of either cardiac dilation or cardiac hyperplasia. Despite the high prevalence of disordered trabecular morphogenesis, we identified very few ventricular septal defects. Thus, while alterations in ventricular loading conditions may alter morphogenesis, cardiomyopathic phenotypes may be separated from defects in ventricular septation.

Keywords: animal experiment, article, blood volume, chicken, congenital heart malformation, controlled study, embryo, heart development, heart dilatation, heart ventricle, heart ventricle hypertrophy, hemodynamics, morphogenesis, nonhuman, scanning electron microscopy