Pulmonary vascular system in young mice using corrosive resin cast technique

Abstract

The use was made of a modified method of the corrosion resin cast technique to establish a model of the mouse pulmonary vascular system in this study. This method permitted not only the visualization of the distribution of the pulmonary artery and vein, but also a clear relationship between the pulmonary vessels and each lobe bronchiole. The right lung consisted of the upper, middle, lower and accessory lobes, which were separated by interlobular fissures. The left lung consisted of the middle and lower lobes, which were united to form a single lobe. The right pulmonary artery gave off branches which ran along each bronchiole, mainly on the dorsal or lateral side. The left pulmonary artery ran across the dorsal side of the left middle lobe bronchiole and was distributed to the left middle and lower lobes. The pulmonary veins ran mainly along the medial or ventral side of the bronchioles and between them. The present corrosive resin casting technique provided a useful method to study the distribution patterns of the pulmonary vascular system 'in situ' in small animals.

この研究において著者らはマウス肺血管系モデルを確立するため腐食性樹脂鋳型法の変法を用いた。この方法は肺動脈および静脈の分布を視覚化するのみでなく、肺血管と各肺葉の細気管支の関係を明らかにする。右肺は上葉、中葉、下葉および副葉から成り、肺葉間裂によって分かれている。左肺は中葉および下葉から成るが結合して単一葉を形成している。右肺動脈は枝を出し各細気管支に沿って主に背部および側部を走る。左肺動脈は左中葉細気管支の背部を横切って走り、左中葉および下葉に分布する。肺静脈は主に細気管支の側部および前部に沿って、および細気管支の間を走る。今回の腐食性樹脂鋳型法は小動物の肺血管系の分布パターンを生体外で研究する有用な方法を提供する。