Biomaterial Database

Myoendothelial junctional complexes in postobstructive pulmonary vasculopathy: a quantitative electron microscopic study. 1995

R P Michel, and F Hu, and B O Meyrick

Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Postobstructive pulmonary vasculopathy (POPV), produced by chronic unilateral ligation of one pulmonary artery, is characterized by (1) marked proliferation of bronchial collateral vessels, (2) increased pulmonary vascular resistance, and (3) hyperreactivity of arteries to serotonin and of veins to histamine. Electron microscopic examination of the vessels in POPV suggested an increase in myoendothelial junctional complexes (MEJC). To quantitate this change, the number of MEJC in the vessel walls of the left lung was compared with that of the right lung in 16 dogs after ligation of the left main pulmonary artery for 8.4 +/- 1.6 (SE) months. The lungs were fixed by airway instillation of 3% glutaraldehyde. Electron micrographs were taken of pulmonary arteries, capillaries, and veins and of bronchial vessels, and their external diameter and length of endothelial basal lamina were measured. The MEJC were counted and expressed as number per length of basal lamina and typed: Type I consisted of endothelial processes, type II of smooth muscle or pericyte processes, and type III of processes from each cell type. The results demonstrated that the vasculature from the control lung had the smallest number of MEJC and the majority were type I. With ligation, there was a significant increase (p < .01) in the number of MEJC for each type of vessel examined, but no significant change in the distribution of the type. In addition, no correlation was found between the number of MEJC and vascular diameter. It can be concluded that MEJC are increased in each region of the lung's vasculature in POPV and that they may play a role in the proliferative response of the bronchial vasculature, the remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature, and the pulmonary vascular hyperreactivity of this model.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007365	Intercellular Junctions	Direct contact of a cell with a neighboring cell. Most such junctions are too small to be resolved by light microscopy, but they can be visualized by conventional or freeze-fracture electron microscopy, both of which show that the interacting CELL MEMBRANE and often the underlying CYTOPLASM and the intervening EXTRACELLULAR SPACE are highly specialized in these regions. (From Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2d ed, p792)	Cell Junctions,Cell Junction,Intercellular Junction,Junction, Cell,Junction, Intercellular,Junctions, Cell,Junctions, Intercellular
D008026	Ligation	Application of a ligature to tie a vessel or strangulate a part.	Ligature,Ligations,Ligatures
D008168	Lung	Either of the pair of organs occupying the cavity of the thorax that effect the aeration of the blood.	Lungs
D008297	Male		Males
D008854	Microscopy, Electron	Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen.	Electron Microscopy
D009131	Muscle, Smooth, Vascular	The nonstriated involuntary muscle tissue of blood vessels.	Vascular Smooth Muscle,Muscle, Vascular Smooth,Muscles, Vascular Smooth,Smooth Muscle, Vascular,Smooth Muscles, Vascular,Vascular Smooth Muscles
D011651	Pulmonary Artery	The short wide vessel arising from the conus arteriosus of the right ventricle and conveying unaerated blood to the lungs.	Arteries, Pulmonary,Artery, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Arteries
D011652	Pulmonary Circulation	The circulation of the BLOOD through the LUNGS.	Pulmonary Blood Flow,Respiratory Circulation,Circulation, Pulmonary,Circulation, Respiratory,Blood Flow, Pulmonary,Flow, Pulmonary Blood,Pulmonary Blood Flows
D011667	Pulmonary Veins	The veins that return the oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart.	Pulmonary Vein,Vein, Pulmonary,Veins, Pulmonary
D001980	Bronchi	The larger air passages of the lungs arising from the terminal bifurcation of the TRACHEA. They include the largest two primary bronchi which branch out into secondary bronchi, and tertiary bronchi which extend into BRONCHIOLES and PULMONARY ALVEOLI.	Primary Bronchi,Primary Bronchus,Secondary Bronchi,Secondary Bronchus,Tertiary Bronchi,Tertiary Bronchus,Bronchi, Primary,Bronchi, Secondary,Bronchi, Tertiary,Bronchus,Bronchus, Primary,Bronchus, Secondary,Bronchus, Tertiary