A morphological study on the obliteration processes of the ductus arteriosus in the horse.
Abstract: The obliteration processes of the ductus arteriosus of equine foetuses and newborn foals were studied morphometrically and histologically. The length, internal and external diameters and circumference of the ductus in equine foetuses increased progressively and linearly up to 310 days with advancing foetal age, but the values, especially the internal diameter, decreased from 320 to 330 days. After birth, the ductal measurements decreased gradually and ductal closure was found in three of 14 foals examined on the first day post partum, in two of six on the second day and in nine of nine on the third day or later, suggesting that the ductus arteriosus closes physiologically within three days after birth. Microscopical findings of the ductus arteriosus were characterised by the rearrangement of smooth muscle cells in the inner media and intimal thickening in foetuses, and by the central displacement of the intima in newborn foals. It was concluded that the ductus arteriosus begins to undergo preparatory modifications during intrauterine life, when the vessel is still functional, and that the most significant starting point of change in the obliteration processes is the rearrangement of smooth muscle cells in the inner media, which occurs during pre- and post natal life.
Publication Date: 1988-07-01 PubMed ID: 3168984DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1988.tb01516.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research study investigates the process by which the ductus arteriosus, a blood vessel in equine foetuses and newborn foals, goes through changes and closure during pre- and postnatal life.
Objective and Methodology
- This study aimed to explore the obliteration process, or closure of the ductus arteriosus, in horses. Obliteration typically occurs during fetal or postnatal development.
- The researchers examined the ductus arteriosus of equine foetuses and newborn foals both morphometrically, meaning they measured shapes and forms, and histologically, which refers to the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues.
- The investigation involved measuring the internal and external diameter, length, and circumference of the ductus arteriosus at different stages of fetal development and after birth.
Findings
- The measurements of the ductus arteriosus in the equine fetus grew progressively and linearly until about 310 days of fetal age. After that point, especially between 320 and 330 days, the values, particularly the internal diameter, started to decrease.
- After birth, the changes continued, and the ductal measurements gradually decreased. By the third day postpartum, all foals examined in this study had experienced ductal closure, suggesting that the ductus arteriosus typically closes within three days after birth in horses.
- Microscopic examination revealed the inner workings of these changes. The ductus arteriosus exhibited rearrangement of smooth muscle cells in the inner media and intimal thickening. In newborn foals, the changes were characterized by the central displacement of the intima, the innermost layer of a blood vessel.
Conclusions
- The researchers concluded that the ductus arteriosus starts to prepare for closure while still functional during intrauterine life, and the most significant indicator of this change appears to be the rearrangement of smooth muscle cells in the inner media.
- The study insights can help us understand normal foetal development in horses and perhaps shed light on similar processes in other mammals.
Cite This Article
APA
Machida N, Yasuda J, Too K, Kudo N.
(1988).
A morphological study on the obliteration processes of the ductus arteriosus in the horse.
Equine Vet J, 20(4), 249-254.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1988.tb01516.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Veterinary Hospital, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn / anatomy & histology
- Ductus Arteriosus / anatomy & histology
- Ductus Arteriosus / physiology
- Fetal Heart / anatomy & histology
- Fetal Heart / physiology
- Horses / anatomy & histology
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- De Lange L, Vernemmen I, van Loon G, Decloedt A. Echocardiographic Features of the Ductus Arteriosus and the Foramen Ovale in a Hospital-Based Population of Neonatal Foals. Animals (Basel) 2022 Aug 30;12(17).
- Saey V, Vandecasteele T, van Loon G, Cornillie P, Ploeg M, Delesalle C, Gröne A, Gielen I, Ducatelle R, Chiers K. Friesian horses as a possible model for human acquired aortopulmonary fistulation. BMC Res Notes 2016 Aug 15;9(1):405.
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