For Application to Human Spaceflight and ISS Experiments: VESGEN Mapping of Microvascular Network Remodeling during...

Area of Science:

• Space exploration
• Gastrointestinal health
• Vascular biology

Background:

• Long-duration space exploration poses risks to human gastrointestinal function due to microgravity and radiation.
• Intestinal microvasculature remodeling is vital for tissue health, wound healing, and recovery from vascular diseases like cancer.
• Current methods lack automated quantitative analysis of mucosal vascular networks for disease tracking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply an automated image analysis tool for quantifying microvascular network geometry in intestinal inflammation.
• To assess the impact of inflammation on the intestinal microvasculature using a novel analysis approach.

Main Methods:

• 3D tissue reconstructions of intestinal inflammation in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) mouse model were generated.
• VESsel GENeration Analysis (VESGEN) software was used to map microvascular network geometry.
• A novel vascular network linking analysis was performed alongside VESGEN parameter analysis.

Main Results:

• Inflammation significantly disrupted the regular, lattice-like geometry of the normal microvascular network.
• Abnormalities in microvascular network geometry positively correlated with increased dendritic cell recruitment.
• VESGEN software provided quantitative assessments of these complex vascular changes.

Conclusions:

• The developed VESGEN software enables quantitative assessment of intestinal microvascular changes during inflammation.
• Understanding these vascular alterations is critical for mitigating risks associated with space exploration and treating gastrointestinal diseases.
• The findings highlight the disruption of normal vascular architecture during inflammatory responses.