Development of the coronary arteries and cardiac veins in the dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula)

Abstract

The development of the coronary system in the Dogfish was studied using light microscopy. The sample examined consisted of 44 embryos and four newborns. The chronology of events occurring during the process was referred to the total length (TL) of the specimens. The nourishment of the developing myocardium first takes place by means of intertrabecular sinusoids. This system is later switched to a circulation through coronary vessels. The cardiac veins develop earlier than the coronary arteries. The earliest evidence of development of heart vessels in the present sample was the appearance of a diverticulum from the sinus venosus in three embryos of 31 mm TL. This diverticulum outlined the future coronary sinus. Both the atrioventricular and conoventricular venous rings were completely developed in an embryo of 36 mm TL. Coronary artery vessels appeared for the first time in embryos of 40 mm TL. In these specimens, two arteries arose from the midventral hypobranchial artery and divide to give rise to the four coronary artery conal trunks. In a 51-mm TL embryo it was already possible to follow the course of the coronary arteries, from the hypobranchial artery to the conoventricular groove. All main coronary vessels were fully developed in embryos of more than 58 mm TL. However, the arteries supplying the atrium were firstly recorded in a newborn of 77 mm TL. Birth usually occurs when the shark reaches about 72-76 mm TL.

Building the vertebrate heart - an evolutionary approach to cardiac development

“…These needs were probably satisfied by coronary arteries developing from the hypobranchial arteries which receive oxygenated blood supply directly from the efferent branchial arteries. This temporal uncoupling in the development of coronary arteries and cardiac veins has been described in embryos of the elasmobranch Scyliorhinus canicula '(De Andrés et al, 1993).…”

Chemokine-Guided Angiogenesis Directs Coronary Vasculature Formation in Zebrafish

“…Using a transgenic line that specifically labels endothelial cells ( fli1a:EGFP ), we have observed that zebrafish did not develop coronary vasculature until after this expansion had started; they hatched without endothelial cells or vessels on the surface of the heart (Figure 1A–C and Figure S1A–L). This is in striking contrast to sharks, birds and mammals for which coronary vessel development occurs during embryogenesis (De Andres et al, 1993; Hutchins et al, 1988; Perez-Pomares et al, 2002; Red-Horse et al, 2010; Wu et al, 2012). The formation of coronary vasculature began 1–2 months post hatching (~14mm in body length) with the emergence of endothelial cells between the atrium and ventricle (Figure 1C and Figure S1M–O).…”

Coronary Artery Connection: Cone Trunk Sharks Varieties Anatomy Study (Selachians)

“…Over all injections in ventral aorta the efficiency of the aortic valve has been verified and ostium presence of coronary arteries filling has not been visualized. We have not been concerned about the accurate exactitude of types definition, due to De Andrés et al (1993) conclusions, which classified all types as having a high grade of coronary uniform standard (Fig. 3).…”

“…So far, in human beings, there is a standard configuration of the aortic arches, consisting of 6 (De Andrés et al, 1993) pairs, being the hypothetic 5th pair used as a true "corollary. "…”

“…De Andrés et al (1993), at the Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Malaga, (Spain), prepared in 1993 a study on the coronary vessels development in sharks embryos (Scyliorhinus canícula) and concluded that the primary evidences of heart vessels occurred with 31mm length embryos which was then defined as the existence of a diverticulum in the venous sein. This diverticulum when being developed originated the coronary sinus.…”