title: Development of a fluorescent microsphere technique for rapid histological determination of cerebral blood flow.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop a more efficient fluorescent microsphere method to facilitate the rapid use of the histological technique and to enable its use in large tissue regions. Using fluorescent plate/slide imaging technology and automated detection and analysis software, we were able to rapidly image, detect, and count 3 separate microsphere colors in 200 microm thick tissue sections from piglet brain. In resting newborn piglets (n=6) on isoflurane anesthesia, we measured a median total cerebral blood flow (CBF) of 105 ml/min/100g (range 27-206 ml/min/100 g). Compared with other FM analysis methods, our method reduces the time required to determine blood flow, improves accuracy in lipid-rich tissues and large tissue regions and, unlike the radiolabeled microsphere method, can be combined with histological analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Eucker
authors.forename: Brenton D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Natesh
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ralston
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Armstead
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Margulies
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D008863:Microspheres; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D013552:Swine