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Three‐dimensional reconstruction of the air‐ and blood capillaries of the avian lung
Author(s) -
Maina John N.,
Woodward Jeremy D.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.583.2
Subject(s) - infundibulum , lung , lumen (anatomy) , respiratory system , biology , anatomy , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology
In the avian lung, gas exchange occurs between the air capillaries (ACs) and the blood capillaries (BCs). The shapes and the spatial arrangement of the components are uncertain. The models used to characterize pulmonary gas exchange have used inaccurate morphological details. Previously, it assumed that the ACs and the BCs are straight tubules that run parallel and in direct contact with each other and that they are exact copies. The actual forms and the organization vitally differ from these assumptions. A suitable model for assessing respiratory efficiency must include exact structural data that include part of the parabronchial lumen, an infundibulum, and the ACs that arise from it. 3‐D computer reconstruction from the exchange tissue of the lung of a duck, Cairina moschata , using a cross‐correlation based alignment strategy, showed that the ACs consist of globular parts that are joined by narrow conduits; the BCs consist of short segments that are as long as they are wide; and that the respiratory units intertwine intimately. A sheet‐flow arrangement of the BCs surrounds the infundibulum. This corresponds to the organization of the BCs in the interalveolar septa of the mammalian lung. In an unexpected structural analogy, the fine details of the design of the avian lung match those of the mammalian lung. Funded by the National Research Foundation.