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Incidence of Complex Vascular Lesions (Plexiform‐Like Lesions) in the Lungs of 1 to 21‐Day‐Old Domestic Fowl
Author(s) -
Wideman Robert F,
Mason Grant,
Hamal Krishna R,
Cross David W,
Rhoads Douglas D,
Erf Gisela F,
Anthony Nicholas B
Publication year - 2011
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.25.1_supplement.999.7
Subject(s) - pathology , fowl , muscle hypertrophy , lumen (anatomy) , lung , medicine , arteriole , right ventricular hypertrophy , pulmonary hypertension , biology , microcirculation , paleontology
Plexogenic arteriopathy rarely develops in existing animal models of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Rapidly growing chickens spontaneously develop PAH accompanied by the formation of plexiform‐like complex vascular lesions (CVL). The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency with which at least one CVL per tissue section was observed in the lungs of chicks from lines selected for susceptibility (S) or resistance (R) to PAH. At 1, 7, 14 and 21 days of age (n ≥ 10 chicks per age and line) the CVL incidences were 33, 30, 35 and 50% for S chicks, and 20, 30, 28, and 25% for R chicks. The combined CVL incidences over days 1–21 did not differ significantly (P = 0.105) between S (36.4%) and R (25.5%) chicks. Early CVL formed when proliferating intimal cells occluded an arteriole lumen distal to branch points in muscular inter‐parabronchial arterioles that typically exhibited medial hypertrophy and intimal proliferation. Mature CVL in chicken lungs strikingly resemble published photomicrographs of plexiform lesions in the lungs of human PAH patients. The development of CVL in the lungs of young chicks suggests a complex interaction between pulmonary hemodynamics, vascular development and vascular pathology. Supported by NIH grant 1R15HL092517.