Heart Development in the Mexican Salamander, Ambystoma mexicanum. I. Gross anatomy, histology and histochemistry

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Abstract
Gross anatomical, histological and histochemical studies of heart development in Mexican salamanders, Ambystoma mexicanum, are reported. Gross observation suggests that heart development in this urodele species is similar to other amphibians. Histological studies in early embryos show the ventromedially migrating sheets of precardiac mesoderm to be composed of two layers of cells. The right and left dorsal layers fuse and give rise to the myocardium, while the ventral layers form the pericardium. The endocardium arises from cells released by the leading edges of the migrating mesoderm mantles. In early myocardial cells, most of the proteins and carbohydrates are contained in yolk platelets; subsequently, these substances become distributed throughout the cytoplasmic matrixes. In early heart cells free lipid droplets are abundant but decline in size and number as development progresses. Concomitantly, there is an increase in bound lipids. Reticular fibers are detected in the endocardial‐myocardial spaces simultaneously with trabeculae formation. Collagen appears somewhat later in development.

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