title: Microvessel density in muscles of dogs with golden retriever muscular dystrophy.
abstract: Due to the abundance of muscle, intravascular administration seems required for efficient gene or cell therapy of muscular dystrophy. Here, we examined the skeletal muscle microvasculature to assess if it is altered with dystrophin deficiency. Image analysis of capillaries was performed in three muscles of one- to ten-month-old golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dogs and compared with healthy controls. In the gracilis muscle (and in the biceps brachii muscle) of 4- to 10-month-old GRMD dogs, the microvessel density (445+/-47 microvessels per mm(2)), the capillary to fiber ratio (111+/-26 capillaries per 100 myofibers), and the mean intercapillary distance (49+/-3 microm), were similar in affected and control dogs. The sartorius cranialis muscle in GRMD dogs showed microvessel depletion and increased intercapillary distance, but unaltered capillary to fiber ratio, relative to the controls. The mean diameter of microvessels and the total vascular area were higher in GRMD muscles than in control ones. In severely affected GRMD muscles at 7-10 months of age, fibrosis was associated with decreased microvessel density, increased intercapillary distance and microvessel diameter, but normal capillary to fiber ratio and total vascular area.
authors.affiliation: UMR 703 INRA-ENVN, Muscle Tissue Development and Pathology, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Nantes, BP40706, 44307 Nantes cedex 3, France. fnguyen@vet-nantes.fr
authors.forename: Frédérique
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Lydie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guigand
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goubault-Leroux
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wyers
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cherel
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004285:Dogs; D016189:Dystrophin / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009137:Muscular Dystrophy, Animal / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D016189:Dystrophin