Blood vessel ontogeny in upper extremity of man as related to developing muscles

Vascular bed and its relationship to differentiating muscular tissue was studied in a set of 104 upper limbs of human embryos and foetuses, gradually increasing from 10 to 120 mm C-R length. Knowledge obtained on the ontogeny of vascular bed was supplemented by findings in 75 limbs of adults treated by preparation technique. Embryonic and foetal material was treated histochemically a--to demonstrate vascular bed reaction for alkaline phosphatase (AP), ATPase, and dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPP IV), b--to study differentiating muscular tissue for enzyme--ATPase and tetrazoliumreductase (NaDH2, c--to distinguish muscular tissue elements with toluidine blue staining for degree of maturity. Observations concerned several items, namely a--the ontogeny of main arterial trunks in the forearm and hand, b--muscle fibre type differentiation in antebrachial muscular primordia, c--formation of vascular bed as related to differentiating muscular tissue in the forearm and hand. Therefore our results are grouped as follows: ad a--Arterial trunks differentiate along with other limb structures in 12-18 mm C-R length embryos. Thus in embryos above 18 mm C-R length antebrachial and hand trunks are fully formed. Vascular trunks differentiate from deep vascular network via gradual reduction and magistralization in conformity with the general laws of haemodynamics. All arterial trunks forming in the limb during the ontogeny branch off the original axial artery in regio cubiti. In a. radialis trunk it has been ascertained that this blood vessel does not originate from a. brachialis superficialis, as generally reported, but its formation conforms to the same general principles as blood vessel trunks. So it branches off the original axial artery, as other trunks do. A. mediana formed during vascular trunks differentiation later in the ontogeny does not obliterate but changes into the constant a. comitans n. mediani. ad b--First involved in differentiation in antebrachial muscular primordia are the "fast" type fibres (according to Peter et al., 1972) (fast glycolytic-FG-type fibres followed by fast oxidative glycolytic-FOG-type fibres) in 27-30 mm C-R length embryos. "Slow" type fibres (slow oxidative-SO-type fibres) may not be demonstrated histochemically in antebrachial muscles earlier than 45 mm C-R length foetuses. The maturity of muscular elements may be demonstrated by staining with toluidine blue on cytoplasm basophilia of cells. Sarcolytic myotubes in muscular primordia histochemically display typical features which distinguish them markedly from other differentiating muscle fibres.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)