Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 3, 2026
Dynamic Measurement and Imaging of Capillaries, Arterioles, and Pericytes in Mouse Heart
Published on: July 29, 2020
Visualizing the Peripheral Primo Vascular System in Mice Skin by Using the Polymer Mercox
Miroslav Stefanov1, Jungdae Kim2
1Department of Animal Morphology, Physiology and Nutrition, Agricultural Faculty, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria ; Nano Primo Research Center, Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Objectives:
As the peripheral part of the primo vascular system (PVS) is difficult to visualize, we used a vascular casting material Mercox injected directly into the skin to take advantage of a simple procedure to visualize PVS structures as primo vessels (PVs) and primo nodes (PNs) in the skin.
Methods:
Two colors of the polymer Mercox were injected into mouse skin. After a partial maceration of the whole body with potassium hydroperoxide solution, we anatomized it under a stereomicroscope to trace the Mercox that had been injected into the PVS.
Results:
Injection of Mercox directly into the skin allowed the PVs and the PNs to be visualized. This approach can fill the PVS when the material is ejected out of the PVs or PNs. The shapes, sizes, and topographic positions of the nodes and the vessels are the hallmarks used to identify the PVS in skin when Mercox is used as a tracer.
Conclusion:
The direct injection of the casting material Mercox into skin, with modified partial maceration procedures, is a promising method for visualizing the PVs and the PNs in the peripheral part of the PVS in skin. The polymer Mercox can penetrate through the primo pores of the primo vascular wall and fill the PVs and the PNs. The data prove that PVs and PNs exist on the hypodermal layer of the skin.
Insights
A new method using Mercox vascular casting material injected into mouse skin successfully visualized the primo vascular system (PVS). This technique allows for clear identification of primo vessels (PVs) and primo nodes (PNs) in the skin.
Area of Science:
- Anatomy
- Vascular Biology
- Histology
Background:
- The peripheral primo vascular system (PVS) is challenging to visualize due to its delicate nature.
- Existing methods for PVS visualization are often complex or insufficient for peripheral structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simplified and effective method for visualizing the peripheral primo vascular system (PVS) in the skin.
- To demonstrate the presence and morphology of primo vessels (PVs) and primo nodes (PNs) in the dermal and hypodermal layers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a vascular casting material, Mercox, injected directly into mouse skin.
- Employed a modified partial maceration technique using potassium hydroperoxide solution.
- Analyzed injected tissues under a stereomicroscope to trace the Mercox-filled PVS structures.
Main Results:
- Direct Mercox injection into the skin enabled clear visualization of PVs and PNs.
- The casting material successfully filled the PVS, outlining the vessels and nodes.
- Identified characteristic shapes, sizes, and topographic positions of PVs and PNs in the skin.
Conclusions:
- Direct Mercox injection into skin is a viable and promising method for visualizing peripheral PVS components.
- Mercox can penetrate primo pores, filling PVs and PNs, confirming their existence in the hypodermal layer of the skin.
- This technique provides a valuable tool for studying the PVS in superficial tissues.
More Related Videos
09:53Whole-mount Immunohistochemical Analysis for Embryonic Limb Skin Vasculature: a Model System to Study Vascular Branching Morphogenesis in Embryo
Published on: May 20, 2011
05:06Non-Invasive Visualization of Nailbed Microvascular Morphology in Mice Using Capillaroscopy
Published on: February 28, 2025