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Carrasco-Medina AS, Salla RF, Sebben A, da Silva HR, Passos FD, Toledo LF, Rebouças R. The cardiorespiratory system of miniature frogs. J Anat 2024; 244:232-248. [PMID: 37898559 PMCID: PMC10780167 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Anurans of the genus Brachycephalus are among the smallest vertebrates in the world, due to an extreme process of miniaturization. As an example of this process, Brachycephalus species show loss of fingers, loss of the eardrum and middle ear, bone fusions, and the presence of paravertebral plates and parotic plaque. However, no studies addressing the consequences of miniaturization on internal organs, such as the lungs and heart, are currently available. Thus, this study aimed to investigate if overall small body size has affected the cardiorespiratory system. We investigated, via dissections, individuals of four Brachycephaloidea species: Brachycephalus rotenbergae, B. pitanga, Eleutherodactylus johnstonei, and Ischnocnema parva. We observed that B. rotenbergae and B. pitanga present a reduction of the atrial septum and absence of the carotid body. On the other hand, despite being a member of the sister genus to Brachycephalus (both genera belong to the Brachycephalidae), individuals of Ischnocnema present a heart with a complete septum and carotid body; this is also observed in E. johnstonei (Eleutherodactylidae). We observed that B. rotenbergae and B. pitanga have thin skin with a one to two cell thick germ layer, and their lungs likely exhibit lower blood supply when compared to individuals of the E. johnstonei and I. parva species. Based on the observed structures, we suggest that in species of Brachycephalus, respiration is performed mainly through the skin, and their lungs may have a reduced respiratory function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres Santiago Carrasco-Medina
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Instituto de Biologia, Unicamp, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Unicamp, Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Raquel Fernanda Salla
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Antonio Sebben
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
| | - Hélio Ricardo da Silva
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Luís Felipe Toledo
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Instituto de Biologia, Unicamp, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Raoni Rebouças
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Instituto de Biologia, Unicamp, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Unicamp, Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil
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Nie S. Use of Frogs as a Model to Study the Etiology of HLHS. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2023; 10:51. [PMID: 36826547 PMCID: PMC9965361 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd10020051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
A frog is a classical model organism used to uncover processes and regulations of early vertebrate development, including heart development. Recently, we showed that a frog also represents a useful model to study a rare human congenital heart disease, hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In this review, we first summarized the cellular events and molecular regulations of vertebrate heart development, and the benefit of using a frog model to study congenital heart diseases. Next, we described the challenges in elucidating the etiology of hypoplastic left heart syndrome and discussed how a frog model may contribute to our understanding of the molecular and cellular bases of the disease. We concluded that a frog model offers its unique advantage in uncovering the cellular mechanisms of hypoplastic left heart syndrome; however, combining multiple model organisms, including frogs, is needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyi Nie
- School of Biological Sciences, Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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Corno AF, Koerner TS, Salazar JD. Innovative treatments for congenital heart defects. World J Pediatr 2023; 19:1-6. [PMID: 36481963 DOI: 10.1007/s12519-022-00654-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio F Corno
- McGovern Medical School, Children's Heart Institute, Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, 6410 Fannin Street, MSB 6.274, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Taylor S Koerner
- McGovern Medical School, Children's Heart Institute, Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, 6410 Fannin Street, MSB 6.274, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jorge D Salazar
- McGovern Medical School, Children's Heart Institute, Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, 6410 Fannin Street, MSB 6.274, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
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Opportunities and short-comings of the axolotl salamander heart as a model system of human single ventricle and excessive trabeculation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20491. [PMID: 36443330 PMCID: PMC9705478 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24442-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Few experimental model systems are available for the rare congenital heart diseases of double inlet left ventricle (DILV), a subgroup of univentricular hearts, and excessive trabeculation (ET), or noncompaction. Here, we explore the heart of the axolotl salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum, Shaw 1789) as model system of these diseases. Using micro-echocardiography, we assessed the form and function of the heart of the axolotl, an amphibian, and compared this to human DILV (n = 3). The main finding was that both in the axolotl and DILV, blood flows of disparate oxygen saturation can stay separated in a single ventricle. In the axolotl there is a solitary ventricular inlet and outlet, whereas in DILV there are two separate inlets and outlets. Axolotls had a lower resting heart rate compared to DILV (22 vs. 72 beats per minute), lower ejection fraction (47 vs. 58%), and their oxygen consumption at rest was higher than peak oxygen consumption in DILV (30 vs. 17 ml min-1 kg-1). Concerning the ventricular myocardial organization, histology showed trabeculations in ET (n = 5) are much closer to the normal human setting than to the axolotl setting. We conclude that the axolotl heart resembles some aspects of DILV and ET albeit substantial species differences exist.
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Single ventricle: amphibians and human beings. World J Pediatr 2022; 18:643-646. [PMID: 35939203 DOI: 10.1007/s12519-022-00595-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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