Histological Study on Prenatal Purkinje Fibres (PF) Development in Dromedary Camel

Abstract

The development of the Purkinje fibre (PF) of the camel foetus was studied in dromedary camel foetuses during the three gestational periods. A total of 30 hearts were used, the hearts were collected from Tamboul and Al-Salam slaughterhouses, Sudan. The samples were prepared by routine histological procedures and stained by the general histological stain (H&E) and special stains. In the first trimester PF were embedded in cardiac muscle fibres close to the ventricular endocardium. In second trimester, some of PF were embedded in the connective tissue, some fibres contained two nuclei. The striation was clear in peripheral parts of some fibres. At 178 second trimester days of gestation most of fibres contained two nuclei and the cytoplasm around the nuclei was light. At the third trimester PF appeared as bundles of fibres parallel to myocardial muscles. They were also embedded in the endocardial connective tissue as groups or separate fibre. They were embedded in the myocardium in the first trimester and either between the endocardium and myocardium or within the myocardium in the second and third trimesters. It was concluded that most of Purkinje fibres were not found in their normal location till the last stages of pregnancy, which means that PF continue their developmental changes after birth.