The ultrastructure of striated muscle in malformed chick limb induced by citral.

The ultrastructure of striated muscles of phocomelic and amelic legs in a 12-day-old chick embryo was studied. These malformations were induced by applying citral on the third day of gestation into the suprablastoderme space. Myofibrilogenesis was severely disturbed, sarcomers were irregular in length, width and configuration. Myofilaments were dispersed at multidirectional fashion and Z-lines were irregularly thickened. The findings support the assumption that citral interfers with myofibrilogenesis of striated muscles during early gestation period.