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Echocardiographic and Histological Examination of Cardiac Morphology in the Mouse
Published on: October 26, 2017
Morphology and density of initial lymphatics in human myocardium determined by immunohistochemistry
H J Geissler1, W Bloch, S Förster
1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany. hans.geissler@medizin.uni-koein.de
Insights
Researchers successfully identified lymph capillaries in human heart tissue using fms-like tyrosine 4 kinase (flt-4) staining. This method allows for the study of myocardial lymphatic morphology in various heart conditions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Lymphatic System Biology
- Histopathology
Background:
- Myocardial edema is prevalent in heart failure, transplant rejection, and cardiomyopathy.
- Pathological changes in lymphatic morphology contribute to these conditions, but knowledge is limited.
- Fms-like tyrosine 4 kinase (flt-4) is a specific marker for lymphatic endothelium in adult tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate myocardial lymphatic morphology using immunohistochemical staining for flt-4.
- To establish a method for analyzing lymph capillary changes in human myocardium.
- To enable the study of lymphatic alterations in various cardiovascular diseases.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical staining for flt-4 was performed on human myocardial tissue from allografts.
- A commercially available antibody for flt-4 was utilized.
- Lymphatic morphometry was conducted using the Gundersen method.
Main Results:
- Successful labeling of lymph capillaries in adult human myocardium was achieved with flt-4 staining.
- Lymph capillary density was quantified at 50.7 +/- 12.5 per mm².
- The average lymph capillary diameter was measured at 3.7 +/- 0.7 micrometers.
Conclusions:
- Immunohistochemical staining for flt-4 is a viable method for determining lymph capillary morphology in human myocardium.
- This technique is applicable to small tissue samples, including myocardial biopsies.
- The method facilitates the investigation of morphological changes in myocardial lymphatics across diverse cardiovascular pathologies.
Background:
Myocardial edema is a common finding in congestive heart failure, transplant rejection, and cardiomyopathy. Although pathological alterations in the lymphatic morphology are part of the underlying disease, knowledge on these changes is limited. However, lymphatic morphology may be investigated by immunohistochemical staining for fms-like tyrosine 4 kinase (flt-4), which is specific for lymphatic endothelium in adult tissue.
Methods:
We used myocardial tissue of ventricular out flow tract taken from five human semilunar valves harvested as allografts but unsuitable for implantation for analysis, performing immunohistochemical staining for flt-4 with a commercially available antibody. Lymphatic morphometry was completed according Gundersen method.
Results:
Immunohistochemical staining for flt-4 resulted in successful labeling of lymph capillaries in adult human myocardium. Lymph capillary density was calculated as 50.7 +/- 12.5 per mm2 and average diameter was 3.7 +/- 0.7 microm. Conclusions. Lymph capillary morphology in human myocardium may be successfully determined by immunohistochemical staining for flt-4. Tissue samples as small as myocardial biopsies may be used for analysis. Using this method, morphological changes in myocardial lymphatics may be investigated in various cardiovascular diseases.
