[The mechanism of the elimination of dead cells in the myocardium of the fetal rat].

Abstract

At investigation of the intact and damaged myocardium of the rat fetuses (age 17-21 days) several ways of elimination of the perished cells have been revealed: a) exfoliation of the endocardial perished cells into the ventricular cavity; b) phagocytosis by phagocytes of the fetus; c) bordering of the perished cells by endotheliocytes with a subsequent joining of the endothelium to the blood stream. When the fetal myocardium is damaged, elimination of the perished cells is not ensured, nevertheless, during physiological death of the myocardial cells this method is probably effective. The restrictive function of the endothelium plays an essential role in morphogenesis of the heart and is ensured by certain changes in composition of the intercellular substance.