Mompeó Blanca, Sacchini Simona, Quintana María Del Pino, Rivero Miguel, Consoli Francesco, Fernández Antonio, Bernaldo de Quirós Yara
Department of Morphology, Campus Universitario de San Cristobal, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Veterinary School, Institute of Animal Health, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35416 Arucas, Spain.
Vet Sci. 2022 Aug 11;9(8):424. doi: 10.3390/vetsci9080424.
This study analyses the aortic wall structure in nine cetacean species with deep diving habits belonging to four Odontoceti families: Ziphiidae, Kogiidae, Physteridae, and Delphinidae. Samples of ascending, thoracic and abdominal aorta were processed for histological and morphometric studies. The elastic component was higher in the proximal aortic segments, and the muscular elements increased distally in all cases. Morphometric analyses showed that all families presented a decrease in the thickness of the arterial wall and the tunica media along the aorta. The reduction was dramatic between ascending and thoracic aorta in the Physeteridae specimens; meanwhile, the other three families showed a more uniform decrease between the ascending, thoracic and abdominal aorta. The decline was not correlated with a reduced elastic or lamellar unit thickness but with a loss of lamellar units. The organization of the elements in the aortic wall did not show essential modifications between the four families, resembling the structure described previously in the shallow and intermediate diving dolphins. Our findings support that the difference in the morphometric characteristics of the different segments in the aortic wall is likely related to the diving habit more than the absolutes values of any other parameter.
本研究分析了属于四个齿鲸科（喙鲸科、小抹香鲸科、抹香鲸科和海豚科）的九种具有深潜习性的鲸类动物的主动脉壁结构。对升主动脉、胸主动脉和腹主动脉样本进行了组织学和形态计量学研究。在所有情况下，弹性成分在主动脉近端段较高，而肌肉成分在远端增加。形态计量学分析表明，所有科的动脉壁厚度和中膜厚度沿主动脉均有减小。在抹香鲸科标本中，升主动脉和胸主动脉之间的减小幅度很大；与此同时，其他三科在升主动脉、胸主动脉和腹主动脉之间的减小更为均匀。这种减小与弹性或板层单位厚度的降低无关，而是与板层单位的丧失有关。四个科之间主动脉壁中各成分的组织没有显示出本质上的改变，类似于先前在浅潜和中潜海豚中描述的结构。我们的研究结果支持，主动脉壁不同节段形态计量学特征的差异可能与潜水习性有关，而不是与任何其他参数的绝对值有关。
