Figure 6. 5-HT administration in ovo induces cardiac defects.

A) Representative virtual sections of control, 5-HT treated, and thoracotomy sham control hearts at HH36 via endopainting and confocal microscopy. B) Representative Movat's pentachrome stained sections of hearts with the same conditions. Prominent cardiac defects, including enlarged atria (EA) and ventricular septal defect (VSD), were associated with malformed and malfunctioning AV valves (arrows). 25×, scale bar = 500 µm. C) Left septal leaflet average thickness and minimum thickness are both statistically thinner in 5-HT treated leaflets than control. mean ± SEM, n = 3–6 hearts per treatment, *p<0.05, t-test.