Ultrastructure of a Mobile Threadlike Tissue Floating in a Lymph Vessel.

Sharon Jiyoon Jung,Kwang-Sup Soh,Dong-Hyun Kim,Hong-Lim Kim,Sungchul Kim,Hyunji Gil

doi:10.1155/2016/3064072

Abstract

Observations of the primo vascular system (PVS) floating in lymph ducts were reported by various groups. There have been, however, no studies on the ultrastructure of the entire cross section of a primo vessel (PV) inside a lymph vessel with a transmission electron microscope (TEM). In the current study we took the TEM images of a cross section of the PV inside a lymph vessel. We used the Alcian blue staining method for the finding of the target PV in a lymphatic vessel by injecting the dye into the inguinal lymph nodes. The stained PV was harvested together with the lymph vessel and some parts of the specimens were used for studying with optical microscopes. Some other parts were treated according to a standard protocol for TEM. As the results the TEM study revealed the loosely distributed collagen fibers with plenty of empty spaces and the lumens with the endothelial nuclei. It turned out to be very similar to the ultrastructure of the PVs observed on the surfaces of internal organs. It also showed how compactly the PV is surrounded with lymphocytes. In conclusion, the detailed morphological features like the distribution of fibers in the PV were revealed and shown to be similar to another kind of the PV on the surfaces of internal organs.

Highlights

Korea has practiced acupuncture for thousands of years and made many original contributions
The primo vessel (PV) in this lymph vessel was observed in vivo in situ as a mobile floating threadlike structure stained blue with Alcian blue (Figure 1(b))
The PV inside lymph vessel has been identified through several stages of examinations: The PV stained blue with Alcian blue in vivo in situ is to stay afloat unbroken and not crushed to pieces when the lymph vessel is pushed and moved by a forceps

Summary

Introduction

Korea has practiced acupuncture for thousands of years and made many original contributions. In the early 1960s, Kim claimed that his team discovered the anatomical structure of acupuncture meridians as a circulating system which governs the regeneration of damaged and aged tissues and organs [3]. This system has been revived since 2002 and renamed as the primo vascular system (PVS) [4] and its relation to acupuncture is to be established even though relevant data are being accumulated [5]. The regeneration function of the PVS that Kim claimed and emphasized [3] was strongly supported by the discovery of the abundance of embryonic-like stem cells in the PVS [7]

Methods

Results

Conclusion