Chicken embryo as an experimental object for studying development of cardiovascular system

Abstract

Currently, congenital cardiovascular diseases, including congenital heart defects, contribute to the morbidity and mortality of children worldwide. In this regard, great importance is gained by experiments that allow studying the development of cardiovascular system (CVS).  The use of chicken embryos laid the foundation for an experimental study of both the physiology and pathology of the development of CVS. In virtue to accumulated theoretical and experimental material about pattern of development chicken embryos and their organs it becomes possible to study etiology and pathogenesis of many cardiovascular diseases. Due to the availability, large size, simplicity of manipulation and cultivation, chicken embryos served as a model for describing of the development and vascularization of the heart, and due to the high conservatism of many key mechanisms of early ontogenesis, the data obtained from such experiments could also be extrapolated to humans. Work with chicken embryos formed the basis for human knowledge in the field of embryogenesis of the cardiovascular system - the formation of the myocardium, epicardium, endocardium, coronary vascular bed, chambers of the heart and the main vessels. With the development of new biomedical technologies, primarily the techniques of intravital imaging, the range of possible interventions on the CCC of the chick embryo has expanded. Taking into account these advantages and the improvement of experimental methods, models based on chicken embryos do not lose relevance to this day.