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Plastic foil technique attenuates inflammation in mesenteric intravital microscopy
G Horstick1, T Kempf, M Lauterbach
12nd Medical Clinic, Institute for Neurosurgical Pathophysiology, Langenbeckstrasse 1, Mainz, 55131, Germany. horstick@mail.uni-mainz.de
Background:
Interpretation of intravital microscopic observations is complicated by the "inflammatory"-type response to the trauma inflicted on the tissue by the surgical preparation. The present study evaluates different experimental conditions for prolonged observations of the mesenteric microcirculation in the rat.
Methods:
The mesentery was exteriorized through a median laparotomy and subjected to an organ bath or a modified plastic foil technique. Hemodynamic, metabolic, respiratory, and microcirculatory data were analyzed.
Results:
In contrast to the plastic foil technique, which yielded stable baseline values over a 5-h observation period, venular velocity and wall shear rates decreased significantly in the organ bath technique, and leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium was significantly increased. Likewise, abdominal blood flow decreased significantly by 35% and base excess declined (-10.0+/-0.4 mmol/L) in the organ bath, with reduced pco(2) (26.4+/-2.5 mm Hg vs. 33.7+/-1.1 mm Hg in plastic foil technique) due to respiratory pH compensation.
Conclusions:
The plastic foil technique was found clearly superior to the organ bath technique for maintenance of stable baseline metabolic, hemodynamic, and microcirculatory conditions in mesenteric intravital microscopy.
Insights
The plastic foil technique is superior for prolonged rat mesenteric intravital microscopy, maintaining stable conditions unlike the organ bath method which causes significant inflammatory responses and data distortion.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Microcirculation Research
- Surgical Techniques
Background:
- Surgical preparation for intravital microscopy can induce an inflammatory response, complicating data interpretation.
- Prolonged observation of mesenteric microcirculation requires optimized experimental conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate different experimental techniques for extended intravital microscopy of rat mesenteric microcirculation.
- To identify methods that minimize surgical trauma and inflammatory responses.
Main Methods:
- Exteriorization of the rat mesentery via laparotomy.
- Comparison of organ bath versus modified plastic foil techniques.
- Analysis of hemodynamic, metabolic, respiratory, and microcirculatory parameters.
Main Results:
- The plastic foil technique maintained stable baseline values for 5 hours.
- The organ bath technique showed decreased venular velocity, wall shear rates, and abdominal blood flow.
- Leukocyte adhesion increased, and metabolic parameters (base excess, pCO2) were significantly altered in the organ bath technique.
Conclusions:
- The plastic foil technique is superior for mesenteric intravital microscopy.
- This technique ensures stable metabolic, hemodynamic, and microcirculatory conditions.
- It minimizes the inflammatory response associated with surgical preparation.