Red cell velocity and microvessel diameter measurement by a two fluorescent tracer method under epifluorescence microscopy: application to cerebral microvessels of cats.
Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled red blood cells (RBCs) and rhodamine-B isothiocyanate (RITC)-labeled dextran were used as two fluorescent tracers under intravital fluorescence microscopy. RBC velocity in cerebral microvessels of cats was measured with a dual window technique using FITC-labeled RBCs as a flow tracer. Measurement of the vessel diameter was performed using a digital image processor system by staining plasma with RITC-labeled dextran. The RBC velocity, obtained directly with digital cross-correlation of videodensitometric signals derived from the two windows, coincided with those obtained with the frame-by-frame analysis. The obtained RBC velocity ranged between 12.9 and 0.45 mm/sec in arterioles (< 60 microns) in diameter, 4.2 and 0.18 mm/sec in venules (< 60 microns in diameter), and 1.1 and 0.26 mm/sec in capillaries. The use of the labeled RBCs as the flow tracer enabled us to measure a wide range of RBC velocity (up to about 7 mm/sec) by setting the distance between the two windows beyond about 200 microns.
Yamaguchi
S
S
Department of Microcirculatory Science, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Osaka, Japan.
Yamakawa
T
T
Niimi
H
H
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002415:Cats; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D012235:Rhodamines
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D012235:Rhodamines; C027755:rhodamine isothiocyanate; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate