| Author/Editor | Čebašek, Vita; Kubinova, Lucie; Ribarič, Samo; Eržen, Ida | |
| Title | Stereological estimation of the capillary density in rat slow and fast muscles | |
| Type | članek | |
| Source | In: Chraponski J, Cwajna J, Wojnar L, editors. Proceedings of the 9th European congress on stereology and image analysis and 7th international conference on stereology and image analysis in materials science STERMAT. Vol 2; 2005 May 10-13; Zakopane, Poland. Krakow: Polish society for stereology, | |
| Publication year | 2005 | |
| Volume | str. 335-42 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Abstract | The aim of this study was to compare the overall capillary network and the local capillary network in oxidative and glycolytic muscle fibres in slow and fast muscles. Soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were excised from five female rats. Capillaries and muscle fibres were demonstrated on thick tissue sections. Stacks of perfectly registered optical images were captured by a confocal microscope and analysed. Applying stereological methods (POINTGRID, FAKIR and SLICER plug-in-modules of the Ellipse programme), we estimated the mean length of capillaries, adjacent to individual muscle fibre, per unit fibre length (Lcap/Lfib), per unit surface area of the fibre (Lcap/Sfib) and per unit fibre volume (Lcap/Vfib) in the slow SOL and in predominantly fast EDL muscle, and separately in oxidative and glycolytic fibres of EDL muscle. The length of capillaries per unit fibre length was larger in SOL than in EDL muscle but capillary length per unit fibre volume was larger in EDL muscle.There was no difference in the length of capillaries per unit fibre surface area between the two muscles. On the other hand, the length of capillaries per unit fibre surface area was larger in oxidative fibres than in glycolytic fibres and probably reflects better capillary supply of oxidative fibres. We conclude that capillary supply of fibres is in positive con-elation with the activity of the oxidative metabolism. The capillary density, related to fibre length (Lcap/Ltib) and to the fibre volume (Lcap/Vfib), has a more tight relationship with the fibre diameter than the capillary density related to fibre surface area (Lcap/Sfib). The latter parameter (Lcap/Stib) appears to be primarily determined by fibre metabolism. | |
| Descriptors | MUSCLE FIBERS, SLOW-TWITCH MUSCLE FIBERS, FAST-TWITCH MUSCLE, SKELETAL CAPILLARIES IMAGE PROCESSING, COMPUTER-ASSISTED RATS, WISTAR |