• Applied Microscopy
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• v.50
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• pp.20.1-20.9
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• 2020

Arthropods have an open circulatory system with a simple tubular heart, so it has been estimated that the contractile pumping structure of the cardiac muscle will be less efficient than that of vertebrates. Nevertheless, certain arthropods are known to have far superior properties and characteristics than vertebrates, so we investigated the fine structural features of intercalated discs and cardiac junctions of cardiac muscle cells in the black widow spider Latrodectus mactans. Characteristically, the spider cardiac muscle has typical striated features and represents a functional syncytium that supports multiple connections to adjacent cells by intercalated discs. Histologically, the boundary lamina of each sarcolemma connects to the basement membrane to form an elastic sheath, and the extracellular matrix allows the cells to be anchored to other tissues. Since the intercalated disc is also part of sarcolemma, it contains gap junctions for depolarization and desmosomes that keep the fibers together during cardiac muscle contraction. Furthermore, fascia adherens and macula adherens (desmosomes) were also identified as cell junctions in both sarcolemma and intercalated discs. To enable the coordinated heartbeat of the cardiac muscle, the muscle fibers have neuronal innervations by multiple axons from the motor ganglion.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.99-118
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• 1989

The cardiotoxic effects of acute and chronic administration of adriamycin (ADR) were evaluated in A/J Swiss albino mice. In acute studies, male mice received intravenous ADR, 5mg or 15mg/kg per day for 3 or 1day and were sacrifice 12 hours later. Because the glutathione-glutathione peroxidase system is major pathway for free radical detoxication, glutathione levels and glutathione peroxidase activity was measured. In acute studies, ADR-treated mice exhibited significantly decreased levels(p<0.05) of total glutathione and unchanged levels of oxidized glutathione and percentage of oxidized glutathione. The earliest myocardial fine structural alterations included swelling and degeneration of mitochondria and dilatation of sarcoplasmic reticulum at all dosage of acute models. In chronic studies, mice received 5mg/kg ADR once a week for up to 16 weeks. Levels of total and reduced glutathione were decreased significantly(p<0.01) and oxidized glutathione and percentage of oxidized glutathione were increased significantly (p<0.05). Chronic myocardial lesions included perinuclear vacuolization, seperation of myofibrils and the fasciae adherens of intercalated disc and hypercontraction band within myocyte. Glutathione peroxidase activity reduced significantly (p<0.01) in any group of acute and chronic ADR-treated animals. Test for lipid peroxidation(malondialdehyde) was increased significantly(P<0.01). Thus, we conclude 1) ADR significantly lowers glutathione levels in heart tissue, and 2) cellular damage progress produced by alteration of this system in mouse models of ADR cardiotoxicity. These results suggest that the glutathione-glutathione peroxidase system may be involved in the modulation of ADR-induced cardiotoxicity.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.71-85
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• 1985

The ultrastructure on the dorsal vessel of 5-day-old cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae L., was carried out using the transmission and scanning electron microscope. The results are as follows. 1) The aorta. The aorta is simple tubular type and consists of the inner and outer membrane of the myocardium and thick myocardium is located between them. However the inner membrane with $0.26{\mu}m$ thickness and outer membrane with $0.08{\mu}m$ are composed of fibrous materials, the former is composed of low and high densed fibrous materials and the latter appears homogeneous layer. The myocardium consists of typical striated muscles. The sarcomere with $1.6{\mu}m$ length and in cross section, each thick filaments are surrounded by $7{\sim}8$ thin filaments. The intercalated disc is joining the end of the two muscle cells, desmosomes and septate junctions are appeared between the neighboring muscle cells. 2) The heart. The heart composing of myocardium enclosed by its inner and outer membrane as the aorta has a series of well formed segmental chamber. The arrangement of myofilaments, cell adhensions and membrane elements are observed as same as at the aorta. The inner membrane of the heart is deeply invaginated into the myocardium than the outer membrane and a lot of well developed mitochondria with rod shape are aggregated in the folds. The longitudinally and transversely oriented tubule system formed by invagnation of the sarcolemma into the muscle bundle is built up dyad with the sarcoplasmic reticulum as the aorta. The slit is formed by deeply invagination of the inner membrane of myocadium toward the muscle layer and then the inner and outer membrane of myocardium are fused. Therefore, the ostium is formed between the myocardium and situated at the lateral side of the myocardium.