Children's Heart Institute, Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health, 6431 Fannin Street, MSB 6.274, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Medical Genetics, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Pediatr Cardiol. 2022 Oct;43(7):1471-1480. doi: 10.1007/s00246-022-02870-8. Epub 2022 Mar 15.
The heart of the African clawed frog has a double-inlet and single-outlet ventricle supporting systemic and pulmonary circulations via a truncus, and a lifespan of 25-30 years. We sought to understand the unique cardiac anatomic and physiologic characteristics, with balanced circulation and low metabolic rate, by comparing the basic anatomy structures with focused echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Twenty-four adult female African clawed frogs were randomly subjected to anatomic dissection (n = 4), echocardiography (n = 10), and cardiac magnetic resonance (n = 10). All anatomical features were confirmed and compared with echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The main characteristics of the cardiovascular circulation in frogs are the following: Intact interatrial septum, with two separate atrio-ventricular valves, preventing atrial mixing of oxygenated and desaturated blood. Single spongiform ventricular cavity, non-conducive for homogeneous mixing. Single outlet with a valve-like mobile spiral structure, actively streaming into systemic and pulmonary arteries. Intact interatrial septum, spongiform ventricle, and valve-like spiral in the conus arteriosus are likely responsible for balanced systemic and pulmonary circulation in frogs, in spite of double-inlet and single-outlet ventricle.
非洲爪蟾的心脏具有双入口和单出口的心室，通过一个动脉干支持体循环和肺循环，其寿命为 25-30 年。我们试图通过与聚焦超声心动图和心脏磁共振成像比较基本解剖结构，来了解其独特的心脏解剖和生理特征，即平衡的循环和低代谢率。24 只成年雌性非洲爪蟾被随机进行解剖学（n=4）、超声心动图（n=10）和心脏磁共振（n=10）检查。所有解剖学特征均得到确认，并与超声心动图和心脏磁共振成像进行了比较。青蛙心血管循环的主要特征如下：完整的房间隔，有两个独立的房室瓣，防止含氧血和脱氧血在心房混合。单一海绵状心室腔，不利于均匀混合。单出口带有瓣膜样可移动的螺旋结构，主动流入体循环和肺动脉。完整的房间隔、海绵状心室和动脉干中的瓣膜样螺旋结构可能是导致青蛙尽管具有双入口和单出口心室，但仍能实现体循环和肺循环平衡的原因。
