Objectives-Studying the mechanisms of neovascularization and evaluating the effects of proangiogenic strategies require accurate analysis of the neovascular network. We sought to evaluate the contribution of the microcomputed tomography (mCT) providing high-resolution 3-dimensional (3D) structural data, to a better comprehension of the well-studied mouse hindlimb postischemic neovascularization. Methods and Results-We showed a predominant arteriogenesis process in the thigh and a predominant angiogenesisrelated process in the tibiofibular region, in response to ischemia during the first 15 days. After 15 days, mCT quantitative analysis reveals a remodeling of arterial neovessels and a regression depending on the restoration of the blood flow. We provided also new mCT data on the rapid and potent angiogenic effects of mesenchymal stem cell therapy on vessel formation and organization. We discussed the contribution of this technique compared with or in addition to data generated by the more conventional approaches. A s mouse models are largely used to study mechanisms of neovascularization, vascular repair, and growth of collateral vessels, 1 a throughout analysis of the vascular network has gained of interest. Understanding neovessel formation mechanisms requires a complete view of the vascular architecture over the whole of the tissue analyzed: size, orientation, branching, and organization of collaterality. However, the classical methods of assessment are not always quantitative, restricted to a limited area of view, evaluate capillary density in 2D sections, or report superficial blood flow data. 1 Hence, microcomputed tomography (mCT) can, after the injection of a radiopaque contrast agent, image the vascular network in 3D in an entire organ 2,3 and give quantitative data. Several studies have investigated the microvascularization of the kidney, heart, and liver in the rat. 4 -6 Only a few teams have used quantitative tools for studying postischemic angiogenesis in the mouse. 2,3 Here, we used a contrast agent and mCT acquisition procedure dedicated to analyze postischemic kinetics of vessel formation and remodeling restricted to arterial network in the mouse hindlimb. We discussed the contribution of these images compared with or in addition to data produced by the conventional laser Doppler and immunolabeling approaches. Our results revealed a predominant arteriogenesis process in the thigh and in contrast a predominant angiogenesis related process in the tibiofibular region. We showed that neovessel remodeling depends on the restoration of the blood flow. We then provided new data on the mesenchymal stem cell therapy on the feature of vessel formation and organization.
Conclusion-This
Materials and MethodsMaterials and methods related to MSC culture, animal care, model of ischemia, micro-CT data processing and analysis, and histological vascularization quantification appear in the supplemental Materials and Methods section (available online at http:// atvb.ahajournals.org). Briefly, we studied the format...