title: Color-coded imaging of spontaneous vessel anastomosis in vivo.
abstract: Vessel anastomosis is important in tumor angiogenesis as well as for vascularization therapy for ischemia and other diseases. We report here the development of a color-coded imaging model that can visualize the anastomosis between blood vessels of red fluorescent protein (RFP)-expressing vessels in vascularized Gelfoam® previously transplanted into RFP transgenic mice and then re-transplanted into nestin-driven green fluorescent protein (ND-GFP) mice where nascent blood vessels express GFP. Gelfoam® was initially transplanted subcutaneously in the flank of transgenic RFP nude mice. Skin flaps were made at 14 days after transplantation of Gelfoam® to allow observation of vascularization of the Gelfoam® using confocal fluorescence imaging. The implanted Gelfoam® became highly vascularized with RFP vessels. Fourteen days after transplantation into RFP transgenic nude mice, the Gelfoam® was removed and re-transplanted into the subcutis on the flank of ND-GFP transgenic nude mice in which nascent blood vessels express GFP. Skin flaps were made and anastomosis between the GFP-expressing nascent blood vessels of ND-GFP transgenic nude mice and RFP blood vessels in the Gelfoam® was imaged 14 and 21 days after re-transplantation. The results presented in this report indicate a possible mechanism for tumor angiogenesis and suggest a new paradigm of therapeutic revascularization of ischemic organs requiring new blood vessels and in other diseases.
authors.affiliation: AntiCancer. Inc., 7917 Ostrow Street, San Diego, California 92111, USA. all@anticancer.com
authors.forename: Fuminari
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tome
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reynoso
authors.forename: Sumiyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mii
authors.forename: Shuya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouvet
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maehara
authors.forename: Fuminori
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kanaya
authors.forename: Abdool R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Moossa
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D005781:Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein
keywords: Gelfoam®; Green fluorescent protein; anastomosis; angiogenesis; blood vessels; color-coded imaging; confocal microscopy; nestin; red fluorescent protein; transgenic nude mice; vascularization