Endocytosis of ferritin and hemoglobin by the trabecular endocardium in swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri L. and platy, Xiphophorus maculatus L. (Poecilidae: Teleostei)

Abstract

The cardiac atrium and ventricle of swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri L. and platy, Xiphophorus maculatus L., are spongious, consisting of muscle trabeculae covered by endocardial cells. The cardiac trabecular endocardium is able to take up and store large amounts of horse-spleen ferritin and bovine hemoglobin from the blood stream. No such uptake was registered in endocardial cells lining the cardiac valves, atrio-ventricular junction and ventriculo-bulbar junction. The trabecular endocardium in these species seems to be unable to accumulate latex beads or bovine myoglobin, cytochrome C and holotransferrin from the blood stream. It is proposed that the trabecular endocardium in these species is able to clear the blood stream of some types of waste macromolecules; i. e. this tissue may have a scavenger function. The present results indicate that the uptake of foreign ferritin in bony fish endocardium can be clearly demonstrated at the light microscopic level in deparaffined sections by means of acid ferrocyanide or Mallory solutions. A similar uptake of hemoglobin is demonstrated by means of Mallory stain.