Contribution to the study of the vasculature of submandibular and sublingual glands and lymph nodes of rats by corrosion cast technique combined with scanning electron microscopy

Abstract

The study of anatomical structures in their normal state allows the identification of pathological changes that can occur in them. Angiogenesis and the vasculature have been widely studied, mainly because of their association with the development of neoplasms. One of the methods applied for such purposes is the corrosion cast technique, which provides a copy of the vessels with normal as well as pathological structures. The replica of the vasculature provided by this technique allows the three-dimensional analysis of vessels by means of scanning electron microscopy. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate, by means of corrosion casts, the angioarchitecture of the submandibular and sublingual glands and lymph nodes. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the three structures have distinct vascular patterns. The corrosion cast technique can be employed in the study of the angioarchitecture of the submandibular and sublingual glands and lymph nodes, but requires specific precautions. The removal of the structures en bloc and the handling of the replicas with the aid of a stereoscopic magnifier reduce the risk of fractures.

Characterization of Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis in Human Minor Salivary Glands with Sjögren’s Syndrome

“…To elucidate whether angiogenesis is occurring in salivary glands with SS, we examined changes in the vascular organization of hMSG. The vascular organization of the salivary glands has been previously examined (Flint 1903;Lung 1993;Ohtani et al 1983;Rossi-Schneider et al 2008;Xu et al 2011). Although all of the studies had similar findings, the most thorough explanation of the vascular organization in salivary glands was provided by Flint (1903).…”

Study of intussusceptive angiogenesis in inflammatory regional lymph nodes by scanning electron microscopy

“…After completion of the corrosion process, the specimens were immersed in formic acid for 1 hour and then placed on filter paper in a 378C incubator until the time of evaluation by SEM. The present methodology was based in Verli et al (2007Verli et al ( , 2008 and Rossi-Schneider et al (2008).…”

“…It made possible to choose three follicular nodules (Figs. 2 and 3) for quadrant to evaluate, totaling 12 follicular nodules evaluated in each lymph node as the description performed by Rossi-Schneider et al (2008). In every animal the intussusceptive angiogenesis was verified in all the periphery of the follicular nodules.…”

Osmium Tetroxide Labeling of (Poly)Methyl Methacrylate Corrosion Casts for Enhancement of Micro-CT Microvascular Imaging

“…Since the onset of the use of corrosion casting in medical research, only two-dimensional (2D) data could be acquired from corrosion casts by means of scanning electron microscopy (Kurokawa & Ogata, 1980; Nakamura & Masuda, 1981; Zhang, 1987; Giuvarasteanu, 2007; Rossi-Schneider et al, 2008; Bereza et al, 2012 a , 2012 b ; Walocha et al, 2012). Recently, 3D image data from corrosion casts were obtained by means of micro-CT and nano-CT scanning (Mondy et al, 2009 a ; Wagner et al, 2011).…”

“…Since the onset of the use of corrosion casting in medical research, only two-dimensional~2D! data could be acquired from corrosion casts by means of scanning electron microscopy~Kurokawa & Ogata, 1980;Nakamura & Masuda, 1981;Zhang, 1987;Giuvarasteanu, 2007;Rossi-Schneider et al, 2008;Bereza et al, 2012aBereza et al, , 2012bWalocha et al, 2012!. Recently, 3D image data from corrosion casts were obtained by means of micro-CT and nano- CT scan-ning~Mondy et al, 2009a;Wagner et al, 2011!. In order to visualize vessels in intact tissues using micro-CT, either the luminal structures of interest can be filled with radiopaque material before scanning~Ritman, 2004; Almajdub et al, 2008;de Kemp et al, 2010;Razavi et al, 2012!, or alternatively a negative view can be obtained by impregnating the surrounding tissues with osmium te-troxide~OsO 4 !, which is a secondary transmission electron microscopy fixative~Ritman, 2004; Ananda et al, 2006!. However, these approaches yield qualitatively poor images of a tissue 's microvasculature~Mondy et al, 2009b;Vandeghinste et al, 2011!. Many radiopaque metal powders are, unfortunately, not soluble in Batson's #17.…”