Morphometric data on the lymph capillaries of the ventricles of the rabbit heart.
A morphometric analysis was done on the lymph capillaries of both left and right ventricles from the rabbit heart. The measurements were made on the lymphatics identified in the subepicardium, myocardium and subendocardium of the ventricular walls. Quantitative evaluations were carried out on light and electron microscopic sections by a computerized image analysis system. The following parameters were selected and measured: (1) the diameter (of area-equivalent circle) of lymph capillaries, (2) the diameter of the uncoated micropinocytotic vesicles (located on the abluminal and adluminal side and in the cytoplasm of the endothelial cell) and the area occupied by the vesicles per unit area of cytoplasm. Differences in the size of the lymph capillaries were found in the three layers (subepicardium, myocardium and subendocardium) of the ventricular walls. The largest vessels were present in the subepicardium both in the left ventricle and in the right one. No significant variations were found in the lymphatics of corresponding regions on both ventricles. Little variations on the mean diameter of the uncoated micropinocytotic vesicles are present in the three regions of the endothelial wall. In the left ventricle only, the subendocardial vesicles are significantly larger than the subepicardial and the myocardial ones (p less than 0.05). The areal density occupied by vesicular system in the three layers of the ventricular wall showed significant differences in both ventricles (p less than 0.05). The vesicles present in the subepicardial vessels occupied the smallest areal density. No significant variations existed in the vesicular areal density between the two ventricles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Poggi
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P
Istituto di Istologia ed Embriologia generale, Università di Pavia, Italy.
Marchetti
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C
Calligaro
A
A
Casasco
A
A
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008208:Lymphatic System / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009206:Myocardium / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011817:Rabbits