open access

Vol 80, No 4 (2021)
Original article
Submitted: 2020-07-09
Accepted: 2020-08-12
Published online: 2020-09-02
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Development and growth of the foot lumbricalis muscle: a histological study using human foetuses

Z.-W. Jin1, S. Hayashi2, K. H. Cho3, G. Murakami4, J. Wilting5, J. F. Rodríguez-Vázquez6
·
Pubmed: 32896871
·
Folia Morphol 2021;80(4):904-915.
Affiliations
  1. Department of Anatomy, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
  2. Department of Anatomy, Division of Basic Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan
  3. Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine and Hospital, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science, Iksan, Korea, Republic Of
  4. Division of Internal Medicine, Cupid Clinic, Iwamizawa, Japan
  5. 5Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany
  6. Department of Anatomy and Embryology, School of Medicine, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain

open access

Vol 80, No 4 (2021)
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Submitted: 2020-07-09
Accepted: 2020-08-12
Published online: 2020-09-02

Abstract

Background: Our group has shown early development of the hand lumbricalis and hypothesized that, at midterm, the lumbricalis (LU) bundles flexor tendons to provide a configuration of “one tendon per one finger” (Cho K.H. Folia Morphol. 2012; 71, 3: 154–163). However, the study concentrated on the hand and contained no sections of near-term foetuses.
Materials and methods: The present examination of paraffin-embedded tangential sections along the planta from 25 embryos and foetuses at 6–40 weeks (15–320 mm crown-rump length) demonstrated that, at 8 weeks, the initial foot LU appeared in the proximal side of the common tendinous plate of all five deep tendons.
Results: After midterm, a drastic three-phase change occurred at the muscle origin: 1) the LU originated from each of the flexor digitorum longus tendon (FDLT), but abundant tenocyte candidates separated the muscle fibre from the tendon collagen bundle; 2) the LU arose from the covering fascia depending on increased thickness of the muscle; and 3) the LU muscle fibres intermingled with tendon collagen bundles and partly surrounded the tendon. Simultaneously, a dividing site of the FDLT migrated distally to accelerate the changes at the LU origin. These phases did not always correspond to the size of foetus after 30 weeks.
Conclusions: Consequently, in contrast to the hand LU, the delayed changes in the foot were characterised by involvement of the LU origin into a single common part of the FDLT. The quadratus plantae muscle fibres did not attach to the LU at any phase, and connected with the fourth and fifth toe tendons.

Abstract

Background: Our group has shown early development of the hand lumbricalis and hypothesized that, at midterm, the lumbricalis (LU) bundles flexor tendons to provide a configuration of “one tendon per one finger” (Cho K.H. Folia Morphol. 2012; 71, 3: 154–163). However, the study concentrated on the hand and contained no sections of near-term foetuses.
Materials and methods: The present examination of paraffin-embedded tangential sections along the planta from 25 embryos and foetuses at 6–40 weeks (15–320 mm crown-rump length) demonstrated that, at 8 weeks, the initial foot LU appeared in the proximal side of the common tendinous plate of all five deep tendons.
Results: After midterm, a drastic three-phase change occurred at the muscle origin: 1) the LU originated from each of the flexor digitorum longus tendon (FDLT), but abundant tenocyte candidates separated the muscle fibre from the tendon collagen bundle; 2) the LU arose from the covering fascia depending on increased thickness of the muscle; and 3) the LU muscle fibres intermingled with tendon collagen bundles and partly surrounded the tendon. Simultaneously, a dividing site of the FDLT migrated distally to accelerate the changes at the LU origin. These phases did not always correspond to the size of foetus after 30 weeks.
Conclusions: Consequently, in contrast to the hand LU, the delayed changes in the foot were characterised by involvement of the LU origin into a single common part of the FDLT. The quadratus plantae muscle fibres did not attach to the LU at any phase, and connected with the fourth and fifth toe tendons.

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Keywords

flexor digitorum longus muscle, flexor halluces longus muscle, quadratus plantae muscle

About this article
Title

Development and growth of the foot lumbricalis muscle: a histological study using human foetuses

Journal

Folia Morphologica

Issue

Vol 80, No 4 (2021)

Article type

Original article

Pages

904-915

Published online

2020-09-02

Page views

6881

Article views/downloads

1070

DOI

10.5603/FM.a2020.0108

Pubmed

32896871

Bibliographic record

Folia Morphol 2021;80(4):904-915.

Keywords

flexor digitorum longus muscle
flexor halluces longus muscle
quadratus plantae muscle

Authors

Z.-W. Jin
S. Hayashi
K. H. Cho
G. Murakami
J. Wilting
J. F. Rodríguez-Vázquez

References (22)
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