Geometrical distribution of capillaries in mammalian striated muscle

Abstract

Striated muscles of hindlimb, jaw, or tongue in dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, and guinea pigs were perfused under high pressure with Microfil (a silicone elastomer of viscosity 20 cP approx.) to outline the vascular bed. When the material had set, the muscles were fixed in formalin. Exmination of histological sections, strained by a modified Gomori trichrome method, showed capillaries containing Microfil as well as some, unperfused, filled with red cells. From well-perfused bundles the numbers of capillaries surrounding each fiber were counted; in all muscles these ranged from 0 to 9 with mean values betweeen 3.2 and 4.0. This was true of both red and white muscle. The mean number of fibers sharing one capillary ranged from 2.0 to 3.2, the lower value being found when four vessels surrounded a fiber and the higher value when there was only three. The results indicate a continuum of transitional models from a square array of fibers with each capillary between two adjacent fibers to a hexagonal array with capillaries at alternate vertices.

Novel insights into capillary vessel basement membrane damage by snake venom hemorrhagic metalloproteinases: A biochemical and immunohistochemical study

“…3A). There were several capillaries surrounding each muscle Wber in a characteristic arrangement for the microvasculature of this tissue [26]. A similar pattern was observed when sections were incubated with anti-CD 31, another marker of endothelial cells (not shown).…”

Histochemical changes in muscle of individuals with spinal cord injury following functional electrical stimulated exercise training

“…When comparisons of capillarization are made across studies, it has been suggested that the best measure to use is C/F, since a measure such as capillary density is highly in¯uenced by muscle ®bre size, which may be aected by shrinkage during histochemical preparation techniques that vary across laboratories. 20 Capillary density and CC/FA are of greater use for assessing capillary supply of ®bre area and thus the ability of capillaries to supply oxygen or substrate to muscle, than are C/F and CC. CC/FA is thought to be the best measure of capillary supply to ®bres, as C/F and capillary density are global indices of capillarization and yield little information on the capillary supply of individual ®bres.…”

Capillary supply of the quadriceps femoris muscle of man: adaptive response to exercise

“…With the variable cap.fibre-1, variations in areas due to the preparation technique are eliminated, and therefore it has been used extensively in the literature to compare results from different studies (see Plyley & Groom, 1975). An increase in cap.fibre-1 reflects formation of new capillaries.…”