Further experiments on the intrinsic contractility of the embryonic rat heart

Growth of the myocardial volumes of the individual cardiac segments in the rat embryo

BACKGROUND

Although the growth of the developing heart in relation to an increase of ventricular systolic pressure and the growth of the entire embryo during development has been described, no data are available on the growth of the individual segments and intersegmental junctions. Because these different portions are known to function differently, the need for data on their individual development is obvious.

METHODS

We have measured the volumes of these different compartments by Cavalieri's point counting method in rat embryos from 11 to 17 days.

RESULTS

It is shown that sinus venosus and sinu-atrial junction as well as the main compartments atrium, inlet, and proximal outlet segment grow roughly proportional to the total myocardial volume. Atrio-ventricular canal and distal outlet segment show a restricted growth and their proportional volumes decrease in time. The inlet segment is the most important part of the ventricular mass at 11 days of gestation, when it is still larger than the proximal outlet segment and, thus, takes the greater part in systolic action of the ventricular mass. The growth of the primary fold increases from day 13 onwards and can be considered as part of the wall of the inlet segment which gives rise to the main part of the ventricular septum.

CONCLUSIONS

The timing of the septal volume increase fits with qualitative descriptions of ventricular septation. The atrio-ventricular canal and distal outlet segment have an important constrictive function in early stages, when valves are not yet present. Slow conduction and contraction patterns have been reported to be a characteristic feature of these portions of the embryonic heart. With development of valves these segments are loosing their mechanical function and, thus, their proportional volume declines.

Development of electrical rhythmic activity in early embryonic cultured chick double-heart monitored optically with a voltage-sensitive dye

Double-hearted embryos were produced by whole-embryo culture of chick embryos which were microsurgically cut through the tissue of the anterior intestinal portal at the 1- to 6-somite developmental stage, at the time when the cardiac primordia have not yet fused in the bulboventricular region. The cultured embryos were removed from an incubator usually at the 7- to 10-somite stages of development, and then spontaneous electrical action potentials and/or contractions were optically recorded simultaneously from both the right and left half-hearts, using a 10 X 10- element photodiode matrix array together with a voltage-sensitive merocyanine-rhodanine dye (NK 2761). At the 7- to 8-somite stages, spontaneous action potentials were detected from bilateral prebeating half-hearts or sometimes from one half-heart. In each half-heart, the first spontaneous beating was often observed in the half-heart of the 9 somite embryos. In the beating half-hearts regular activity was always observed, while in the prebeating half-hearts at the 7- to 8-somite stages, both the regular and irregular rhythms of action potentials were detected, and the incidence of occurrence of regular activity significantly outnumbered that of the irregular rhythm. The heart rate in the left half-heart was faster than that in the right half-heart in the great majority of the prebeating and beating double-hearted embryos.

Development of the action potential of the prenatal rat heart

Transmembrane action potentials were recorded from embryonic rat hearts at ages between 10½ days of gestation and birth (21 to 22 days). The resting potential averaged 30 to 40 mv at 10½ days and increased to around 80 mv by birth. Two periods of rapid increase in resting potential were noted: 1) from 10½ to 13½ days and 2) from 19½ days of gestation to birth. The maximal upstroke velocity of the action potential increased as the resting potential increased. The duration of the ventricular and atrial action potentials was inversely related to heart rate, and their rate sensitivity decreased with age. The atrial action potential lost its rate sensitivity by 13½ days of gestation and the ventricular action potential lost its by birth. At 10½ days diastolic depolarization was found in the area of the ventricle proximate to the A-V junction, the left and right atria, and the sinus venosus. The velocity of the diastolic depolarization was greatestin the sinus venosus and least in the ventricle. The diastolic depolarization decreased with growth and was lost by 13½ days of gestation.