CHRONOLOGICAL STUDY OF CHICKEN EMBRYO WING AND LEG SKELETON DEVELOPMENTBY ALIZARIN RED- ALCIAN BLUE DOUBLE STAINING TECHNIQUE

Normal and abnormal developmental studies on chicken embryo system are necessart, as the widespread use of chicken embryo model in embryological experiments, from organ to cell and molecule levels. Knowledge of normal embryonic development is important to understanding embryonic events and efficient performing of experimental and teratological tests. The present study was undertaken by double staining on chicken embryo from 1st to 21st day of incubation period by alizarin red – alcian blue double staining method, to investigation of wing and leg skeleton development. In this method, cartilage and bone matrix stain blue and red, respectively. Totally 13 pieces bone in wing and 22 pieces in leg skeleton were determined. Then, the time of cartilage formation and their ossification, were detected all of those become ossified through bones, become ossified through enchondral ossification pathway, but some part of each bone remains cartilaginous. Results show that leg skeleton development is earlier than wing skeleton development. 6th day and 11th day of incubation period are first appearance cartilage and bone matrix, respectively. These skeletogenous stages of the chicken embryo wing and leg will be useful as a normal control not only in studies of experimental embryology and teratology, but also in the analysis of mutant embryos with skeletal abnormalities.