title: Diaphragm morphology of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus).
abstract: The diaphragm is the main respiratory muscle. Along with other respiratory muscles, the diaphragm is responsible for the muscular contraction that generates the respiratory cycle and, as a consequence, the gaseous interchanges in the lungs. Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus Linnaeus 1758) are largely used as experimental animals in many biology applications due to their easy management, low cost, and docile behavior. As the diaphragm exerts important effects on lung physiology and function, this study aimed at investigating the morphological characteristics of the muscle, through macroscopic, microscopic, and scanning electron microscopy to add reference data for future studies. We observed a "U"-shaped tendineous center and its morphology was similar to other mammals. These results cooperate with the descriptive and comparative anatomy of mammals, besides can be used as control data for areas of surgery and stem cells.
authors: Department of Surgery, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo-FMVZ/USP-Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. thaisblessa@usp.br
authors: Thais Borges
authors: TB
authors: Lessa
authors: Erika T
authors: ET
authors: da Fonseca
authors: Dilayla Kelly
authors: DK
authors: de Abreu
authors: Marcio Nogueira
authors: MN
authors: Rodrigues
authors: Bruno Machado
authors: BM
authors: Bertassoli
authors: Fernanda Menezes
authors: FM
authors: de Oliveira e Silva
authors: Carlos Eduardo
authors: CE
authors: Ambrósio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008853:Microscopy