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Development of the Heart

Development of the Heart

The development of the human heart, a crucial organ, commences from the mesoderm on the 18th or 19th day after fertilization. This process initiates in the cardiogenic area, a group of mesodermal cells at the embryo's head end, which evolves into elongated strands known as cardiogenic cords. These cords undergo a transformation to form hollow-centered endocardial tubes.
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart tube by...

Development of Blood Vessels

Development of Blood Vessels

The development of the vascular system in a fetus is a complex and intricate process that begins as early as 15 to 16 days post-conception. This process starts outside the embryo, specifically in the mesoderm of the yolk sac, chorion, and connecting stalk. Approximately two days later, the formation of blood vessels occurs within the embryo itself.
The initial formation of this system is facilitated by the small amount of yolk present in the ovum and yolk sac. Blood vessels originate from...

Layers of the Heart Wall

Layers of the Heart Wall

The heart wall comprises three distinct layers: the epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium. The outermost layer, the epicardium, is the visceral layer of the serous pericardium, featuring a thin, transparent mesothelial surface and an inner layer of areolar connective tissue with fat deposits that increase with age.
The myocardium, the thickest layer, consists of cardiac muscle cells interconnected by intercalated discs and crisscrossing connective tissue fibers. These muscle fibers contract...

Endocarditis I: Introduction

Endocarditis I: Introduction

Introduction:Endocarditis is the infection of the endocardium, the inner lining of the heart and its valves. When the heart muscle is involved, the condition is termed myocarditis, while an infection of the outer lining is called pericarditis. Infective endocarditis (IE) primarily affects the endocardium, where pathogens adhere to the valves or lining, forming vegetation that can lead to severe complications. Infective endocarditis occurs when microorganisms, usually bacteria from other body...

Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis

Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis

Endocarditis can present various clinical features depending on the causative organism and the patient's underlying health conditions. Initially, the clinical features of infective endocarditis develop gradually, presenting with nonspecific symptoms that can be easily mistaken for other illnesses.General SymptomsEarly symptoms of infective endocarditis are fever, chills, weakness, malaise, fatigue, and weight loss. These symptoms reflect the systemic nature of the infection and the body's...

Chambers of the Heart

Chambers of the Heart

The human heart is a complex organ made up of four chambers: the right and left atria and the right and left ventricles. These internal chambers are separated by partitions known as the interatrial and interventricular septa. The exterior of the heart features a groove known as the coronary sulcus that demarcates the atria from the ventricles, while the anterior and posterior interventricular sulci distinguish between the two ventricles.
Deoxygenated blood from the body is received in the right...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

En Face Endocardial Cushion Preparation for Planar Morphogenesis Analysis in Mouse Embryos

En Face Endocardial Cushion Preparation for Planar Morphogenesis Analysis in Mouse Embryos

Published on: July 27, 2022

Development of the endocardium.

Ian S Harris¹, Brian L Black

¹Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th Street, Mail Code 2240, San Francisco, CA 94158-2517, USA.

Pediatric Cardiology

|February 6, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The endocardium, the heart's lining, is crucial for heart development. This review explores its embryonic origins, focusing on how mesodermal cells become endocardial cells and proposes a new model for endocardial specification.

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Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

En Face Endocardial Cushion Preparation for Planar Morphogenesis Analysis in Mouse Embryos

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Published on: July 27, 2022

Isolation of Endocardial and Coronary Endothelial Cells from the Ventricular Free Wall of the Rat Heart

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Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Cardiovascular Research
Endothelial Cell Biology

Background:

The endocardium, the heart's inner lining, is vital for cardiac development, including valve and septa formation.
It originates from mesodermal precursors via de novo vasculogenesis in the cardiac crescent.
Understanding endocardial origins is key to deciphering heart development complexities.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent advancements in understanding the embryonic origins of the endocardium.
To summarize vasculogenesis, endothelial cell specification, and transcriptional pathways.
To explore lineage relationships between endocardial and myocardial cells.

Main Methods:

Review of current literature on endocardial development.
Analysis of transcriptional pathways involved in endothelial cell specification.
Discussion of proposed models for endocardial cell fate determination.

Main Results:

The endocardium arises from a distinct mesodermal population in the cardiac crescent.
Transcriptional pathways regulate vasculogenesis and endothelial cell specification.
Two models of endocardial specification exist: prespecification vs. fate plasticity.

Conclusions:

A new model reconciling existing theories of endocardial specification is proposed.
Further experiments are suggested to resolve questions about endocardial lineage and fate.
Clarifying endocardial origins enhances understanding of congenital heart diseases.