Lymphatic/Blood endothelial cell connections at the capillary level in adult rat mesentery.

ABSTRACT: Analyses of microvascular networks with traditional tracer filling techniques suggest that the blood and lymphatic systems are distinct without direct communications, yet involvement of common growth factors during angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis suggest that interactions at the capillary level are possible. To investigate the structural basis for lymphatic/blood endothelial cell connections during normal physiological growth, the objective of this study was to characterize the spatial relations between lymphatic and blood capillaries in adult rat mesenteric tissue. Using immunohistochemical methods, adult male Wistar rat mesenteric tissues were labeled with antibodies against PECAM (an endothelial marker) and LYVE-1, Prox-1, or Podoplanin (lymphatic endothelial markers) or NG2 (a peric

SUBMITTER: Robichaux JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3000855 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature