Morphological Characterization of Acinar Cluster in Mouse Lung Using a Multiscale-based Segmentation Algorithm on...

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary morphology and biomechanics
• Quantitative imaging and analysis
• Respiratory system research

Background:

• Understanding lung acinar 3D morphology is crucial for respiratory biomechanics.
• Previous studies lacked detailed quantitative morphological data of acinar clusters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively characterize the 3D morphology of individual pulmonary acini and acinar clusters in mouse lungs.
• To provide data for future biomechanical simulations of respiratory function.

Main Methods:

• Employed semi-automatic segmentation of synchrotron micro-CT images of mouse lung.
• Quantified volume, surface area, pathway length, and width of segmented acini and acinar clusters at Functional Residual Capacity (FRC).
• Analyzed morphology of five acinar clusters (50 acini) and one cluster (15 acini) for pathway analysis.

Main Results:

• Individual acinar volume: 0.09 ± 0.07 mm³, surface area: 6.82 ± 4.49 mm².
• Acinar cluster volume: 0.89 ± 0.34 mm³, surface area: 68.18 ± 17.66 mm².
• Pathway generation number averaged 8 ± 2; pathway length and width increased with generation number.

Conclusions:

• Successfully characterized quantitative morphology of pulmonary acinar clusters in mouse lungs.
• The generated morphological data are suitable for biomechanical simulation studies.
• Largest acini were located distally; respiratory bronchioles observed in large acini.