Anatomy, histology, and development of the cardiac valvular system in elasmobranchs.

We report here on the anatomy, histology, and development of the three sets of cardiac valves in embryonic and adult elasmobranch fishes. The sinus venosus is the first segment of the heart to receive blood, and a pair of sinoatrial (SA) valves prevent backward flow of blood into the sinus venosus. The SA valves derive from two dorsolateral infoldings of the cardiac wall and consist of a simple endocardium covering transverse sheets rich in collagen. The SA valves are simple flaps of tissue without papillary muscles or chordae tendineae. Blood from the atrium passes the atrioventricular (AV; semilunar) valves, which are attached to papillary muscles in the ventricle by way of the chordae tendineae. A series of rows of conal or pocket valves (CV) in the conus arteriosus, equipped with chordae tendineae but no papillary muscles, prevent blood from reentering the ventricle. Chordae tendineae form in a similar fashion in both chambers. Elevations from the chamber wall emerge as a sheet covered on both surfaces with endocardium and separated by a core of connective tissue. Endocardial cells extend basal projections toward the opposing epithelium through their basal laminae. Basal cell projections make contact to create perforations that enlarge to produce spaces between the nascent chordae. Fibroblasts in the core of the chordae enlarge and strengthen the chordae by producing linear arrays of collagen fibers.