title: Repair in arterial tissue. An ultrastructural demonstration of proteoglycans in low temperature embedded normal and healing arterial tissue.
abstract: Low temperature embedded normal and healing arterial tissues were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The most conspicuous observation was the ultrastructurally well-preserved extracellular matrix of the arterial tissue. The proteoglycans were visible as rod-like structures (20-50 nm in width and about 200 nm in length) and radiating filaments connecting the granules to each other. The rod-like structures were removed after testicular hyaluronidase digestion. Chondroitinase ABC digestion removed most of the rod-like structures. Re-endothelialized neointima revealed a high content of rod-like structures forming a three-dimensional muralium joining together basal membrane microfibrils, collagen microfibrils and the microfibrillar component of elastin, whereas non-re-endothelialized neointima showed a reduced content of proteoglycans. The cylindrical granules may represent the proteoglycan monomer with condensed glycosaminoglycan chains.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000293:injuries / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002810:Chondroitinases and Chondroitin Lyases; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D005615:Freezing; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000032:analysis*; D011817:Rabbits; D014021:Tissue Preservation; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D011509:Proteoglycans; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; D002810:Chondroitinases and Chondroitin Lyases