Blood vessels in the mouse tail: progress in anatomical studies.

Area of Science:

• Vascular anatomy
• Mouse model research
• Micro-imaging techniques

Background:

• The mouse tail vasculature serves as a model for studying complex circulatory systems.
• Understanding its structure is crucial for various physiological and pathological investigations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively investigate the structural characteristics of caudal blood vessels in the mouse tail.
• To establish standardized nomenclature for the identified vascular structures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a multimodal approach including gross anatomical microscopy, dual-color micro-emulsion perfusion, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), micro-angiography, histopathology, X-ray microangiography, and scanning electron microscopy.
• Conducted a detailed examination of transverse caudal vessels and the deep caudal vascular system.

Main Results:

• Identified two distinct circulatory systems within the mouse tail: a longitudinal system and a local system.
• The longitudinal system comprises three main groups of vessels: middle, left, and right caudal vessels.
• Proposed a standardized nomenclature for the mouse tail's vascular network.

Conclusions:

• Confirmed two primary modes of blood circulation in the mouse tail: longitudinal and local.
• Categorized the caudal blood vessels into three types: superficial, deep, and communicating vessels.
• The findings provide a foundational understanding of mouse tail vascular anatomy.