Abstract
Comprehensive analysis of 3D angioarchitecture within the intact rat spinal cord remains technically challenging due to its sophisticated anatomical properties. In this study, we aim to present a framework for ultrahigh-resolution digitalized mapping of the normal rat spinal cord angioarchitecture and to determine the physiological parameters using synchrotron radiation micro-CT (SRμCT). Male SD rats were used in this ex vivo study. After a proportional mixture of contrast agents perfusion, the intact spinal cord covered the cervical spinal from the upper of the 1st cervical vertebra to the 5th lumbar vertebra was harvested and cut into proper lengths within three distinct regions: Cervical 3–5 levels, Thoracic 10–12 levels, Lumbar 3–5 levels spinal cord and examined using SRμCT. This method enabled the replication of the complicated microvasculature network of the normal rat spinal cord at the ultrahigh-resolution level, allowing for the precise quantitative analysis of the vascular morphological difference among cervical, thoracic and lumbar spinal cord in a 3D manner. Apart from a series of delicate 3D digital anatomical maps of the rat spinal cord angioarchitecture ranging from the cervical and thoracic to the lumbar spinal cord were presented, the 3D reconstruction data of SRμCT made the 3D printing of the spinal cord targeted selected microvasculature reality, that possibly provided deep insight into the nature and role of spinal cord intricate angioarchitecture. Our data proposed a new approach to outline systematic visual and quantitative evaluations on the 3D arrangement of the entire hierarchical microvasculature of the normal rat spinal cord at ultrahigh resolution. The technique may have great potential and become useful for future research on the poorly understood nature and function of the neurovascular interaction, particularly to investigate their pathology changes in various models of neurovascular disease.
Highlights
A wide range of spinal cord-related neurovascular diseases and other pathological processes are associated with vascular alterations (Wu et al, 2008; Heldner et al, 2012)
The entire rat spinal cord microvasculature was visualized by SRμCT
The posterolateral spinal arteries (PSA) gave off many branches that coursed slightly rostral before entering the posterior gray matter of the spinal cord
Summary
A wide range of spinal cord-related neurovascular diseases and other pathological processes are associated with vascular alterations (Wu et al, 2008; Heldner et al, 2012). Such as the cavernous hemangiomas in the spinal cord consist of abnormal blood vessels with poor blood flow (Pilz et al, 2020). A comprehensive exploration of the entire 3D arrangement and structural parameters of the spinal cord microvasculature under normal physiological conditions is undoubtedly the prerequisite to monitor vascular changes during pathological processes. There is a lack of a complete map of the entire microvasculature of the rat spinal cord and are limited for further understanding its function
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