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Development and growth of the foot lumbricalis muscle: a histological study using human foetuses
Z-W Jin1, S Hayashi2, K H Cho3
1Department of Anatomy, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.
Insights
The foot lumbricalis (LU) undergoes delayed development compared to the hand, with muscle fibers intermingling with flexor digitorum longus tendons. The quadratus plantae muscle does not attach to the LU.
Area of Science:
- Anatomy
- Embryology
- Morphology
Background:
- Previous research focused on hand lumbricalis (LU) development, hypothesizing a "one tendon per finger" configuration.
- The prior study lacked data on near-term fetal development of the foot lumbricalis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental process of the foot lumbricalis (LU) in human embryos and fetuses.
- To characterize the morphological changes and tendon interactions of the foot LU during development.
Main Methods:
- Examination of paraffin-embedded tangential sections from 25 human embryos and fetuses (6-40 weeks).
- Analysis of the origin and integration of the lumbricalis muscle with deep flexor tendons.
Main Results:
- The foot lumbricalis (LU) first appeared at 8 weeks near the common tendinous plate of deep tendons.
- A three-phase development of the LU origin occurred post-midterm, involving muscle fiber-tendon interactions and fascia origin.
- The flexor digitorum longus tendon (FDLT) division site migrated distally, influencing LU origin changes.
Conclusions:
- Foot lumbricalis (LU) development is delayed and distinct from the hand, characterized by LU origin integration into the common FDLT.
- Quadratus plantae muscle fibers did not attach to the LU but connected to the 4th and 5th toe tendons.
Background:
Our group has shown early development of the hand lumbricalis and hypothesized that, at midterm, the lumbricalis (LU) bundles flexor tendons to provide a configuration of "one tendon per one finger" (Cho K.H. Folia Morphol. 2012; 71, 3: 154-163). However, the study concentrated on the hand and contained no sections of near-term foetuses.
Materials And Methods:
The present examination of paraffin-embedded tangential sections along the planta from 25 embryos and foetuses at 6-40 weeks (15-320 mm crown-rump length) demonstrated that, at 8 weeks, the initial foot LU appeared in the proximal side of the common tendinous plate of all five deep tendons.
Results:
After midterm, a drastic three-phase change occurred at the muscle origin: 1) the LU originated from each of the flexor digitorum longus tendon (FDLT), but abundant tenocyte candidates separated the muscle fibre from the tendon collagen bundle; 2) the LU arose from the covering fascia depending on increased thickness of the muscle; and 3) the LU muscle fibres intermingled with tendon collagen bundles and partly surrounded the tendon. Simultaneously, a dividing site of the FDLT migrated distally to accelerate the changes at the LU origin. These phases did not always correspond to the size of foetus after 30 weeks.
Conclusions:
Consequently, in contrast to the hand LU, the delayed changes in the foot were characterised by involvement of the LU origin into a single common part of the FDLT. The quadratus plantae muscle fibres did not attach to the LU at any phase, and connected with the fourth and fifth toe tendons.
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