Demonstration of connective tissue sheaths surrounding working myocardial cells and Purkinje cells of the sheep moderator band.

Morphological studies were carried out to delineate the characteristics of connective tissue sheaths surrounding working myocardial cells and Purkinje cells in the moderator band of adult sheep hearts, using a series of techniques including silver staining, immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For SEM, tissue blocks were treated with 2N NaOH at room temperature to digest cellular elements. Individual working myocardial cells were ensheathed by thin argyrophil fibers (reticular fibers), while fascicles of 4-8 Purkinje cells (Purkinje strands) were encircled by rather thick reticular fibers. Some collagen fibers were located between masses of myocardial cells as well as between the Purkinje strands. Immunohistochemical analyses indicated that reticular fibers directly surrounding both myocardial cells and Purkinje strands showed moderately positive reactions for anti-type I collagen and intensely positive reactions for anti-type III collagen. Deserves particular note is that the three-dimensional architecture of the reticular sheaths varied widely at different places. The thin reticular sheaths surrounding each myocardial cell consisted of fibrils which were arranged in a coarse network and directed circularly along the long axis of cells. By contrast, the sheaths enclosing Purkinje strands were thicker, and their reticular fibrils were woven into a compact "felt-like" texture. The functional significance of these connective tissue sheaths is also discussed.