Morphological and biochemical aspects of the development of the basement membrane of blood microvessels in the early stages of human prenatal ontogenesis

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26641/1997-9665.2025.2.66-72

Keywords:

blood microvessels, basement membrane, glycosaminoglycans, prenatal ontogenesis.

Abstract

Background. In the prenatal period of ontogenesis, the basement membrane of blood vessels plays a major role in the processes of morphogenesis, development of embryonic tissues and is one of the main factors in the differentiation of the vascular wall. Objective of our study was to study at the ultrastructural level the morphological and histochemical patterns of the formation and development of the basement membrane of blood microvessels in the early period of human prenatal ontogenesis. Methods. The object of the study was 10 human embryos and fetuses aged 4-5 and 12-14 weeks of prenatal ontogenesis from the collection of Professor O.O. Shevchenko of the Department of Descriptive and Clinical Anatomy of the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University. The material for the study was processed by a standard method for transmission electron microscopy. To visualize glycosaminoglycans in the blood microvessel wall at the ultrastructural level, ultrathin sections were stained with ruthenium red according to the method of G. Geyer. Results. In the early stages of prenatal ontogenesis, primary microvessels of the protocapillary type are lined with coastal cells, which are an intermediate form between spindle-shaped mesenchymal cells and primordial endothelial cells. The basement membrane is absent. The first signs of basement membrane formation are detected on the abluminal surface of the perikaryon zone of primordial endothelial cells of crown-bearing microvessels at 5-6 weeks of prenatal ontogenesis. Gradually, basement membrane fragments increase in size, merge with each other, forming continuous areas of different lengths. At 6-7 weeks of prenatal ontogenesis, glycoaminoglycans are detected in the basement membrane of microvessels. During ruthenium red staining, numerous elongated granules are found on the abluminal surface of endothelial cells of primary microvessels of the protocapillary type, which are irregularly located. As the fetus grows, there is an increase in the number of ruthenium-positive granules in the basement membrane of vessels, which are located in a single layer. Conclusion. In the early stages of prenatal ontogenesis, the gradual structural and biochemical formation of the basement membranes of blood vessels occurs. Link-specific and organ-specific features of the development of the basement membrane of blood microvessels have been identified, which are due to different rates of appearance and different degrees of its development.

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Published

2025-07-30

How to Cite

Shevchenko , O., & Levon, M. (2025). Morphological and biochemical aspects of the development of the basement membrane of blood microvessels in the early stages of human prenatal ontogenesis. Морфологія / Morphologia / Morfologìâ, 19(2), 66–72. https://doi.org/10.26641/1997-9665.2025.2.66-72

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 2 (2025)

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