Research Article
Wael Ghonimi, Ahmad balah,
Abstract
The present study was performed to clarify the presence of the bony structure; os cordis and cartilage; cartilago cordis in the heart of the mature dromedary camel. This investigation was carried out on the heart of ten healthy mature camels. The heart of the camel contained only one bone. This bone is large, elongated and embedding inside the heart wall where the cardiac muscles are inserted and fixed. It is found mainly in the aortic ring; especially in the adjacent area between the aorta and the left & right atrium respectively. Moreover, it is lying in the atrioventricular plane near the junction of the interatrial and interventricular septa of the camel heart and extending anteriorly into the atrioventricular valve rings. Histologically, the os cordis appeared consisting of fibrous connective tissue, small foci and pieces of hyaline cartilage, calcified cartilage and large piece of spongy bone. The spongy bone appeared having red and white bone marrow with numerous RBCs, adipocytes and osteocytes. Moreover, the increasing of the calcified cartilage amounts and the development of bony structures in the camel heart skeleton are age dependent, which seems to be a sign of the over load of the mechanical forces and high pressure in the atrioventricular plane and the aortic ring of the heart during systole.