Premium
Comparison of Network Resistances in Aged Versus Adult Microvascular Networks
Author(s) -
Sloas David,
Stewart Scott,
Sweat Richard,
Murfee Walter
Publication year - 2015
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.29.1_supplement.786.7
Subject(s) - anatomy , branching (polymer chemistry) , hemodynamics , microcirculation , hematocrit , cardiology , biomedical engineering , medicine , chemistry , organic chemistry
Aging is commonly associated with vessel loss, yet evidence from our laboratory suggests that aged rat mesenteric microvascular networks are increased in size and display a similar vessel density compared to adult controls. A question still remains whether aged networks undergo patterning changes which might also influence local hemodynamics and physiological function. The objective of this study was to compare microvascular network resistances as a metric of network patterning in adult and aged microvascular networks. Mesenteric tissues were harvested from adult (9 month, n = 4) and aged (24 month, n = 3) male Fischer‐344 rats and immunolabeled for PECAM, an endothelial cell marker. Based on vessel segment lengths, diameter measurements, branch points, and a pressure drop of 55 mmHg, resistances were calculated using a computational model assuming a modified Poiseuille flow relationship. The apparent viscosity per vessel segment was updated based on empirical data that accounted for changes in hematocrit in branching vessels. For simulations with uniform vessel diameter and diameters based on measured values, resistances for aged networks were not significantly different than resistances for the adult networks. The results from this study suggest that aged microvascular networks are not characterized by increased resistance.