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Reduction of Microvessel Number and Length in the Cerebellum of Purkinje Cell Degeneration Mice

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Abstract

Degenerative effects of nerve tissues are often accompanied by changes in vascularization. In this regard, knowledge about hereditary cerebellar degeneration is limited. In this study, we compared the vascularity of the individual cerebellar components of 3-month-old wild-type mice (n = 8) and Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd) mutant mice, which represent a model of hereditary cerebellar degeneration (n = 8). Systematic random samples of tissue sections were processed, and laminin was immunostained to visualize microvessels. A computer-assisted stereology system was used to quantify microvessel parameters including total number, total length, and associated densities in cerebellar layers. Our results in pcd mice revealed a 45% (p < 0.01) reduction in the total volume of the cerebellum, a 28% (p < 0.05) reduction in the total number of vessels and a lower total length, approaching 50% (p < 0.001), compared to the control mice. In pcd mutants, cerebellar degeneration is accompanied by significant reduction in the microvascular network that is proportional to the cerebellar volume reduction therefore does not change density of in the cerebellar gray matter of pcd mice.

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The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary materials.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Cooperatio Program, research area MED/DIAG.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic

    Yaroslav Kolinko, Milena Kralickova & Jan Cendelin

  2. Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic

    Yaroslav Kolinko & Milena Kralickova

  3. Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic

    Jan Cendelin

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  1. Yaroslav Kolinko
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Contributions

Dr. Kolinko performed the histological morphometry, the data analysis, and the literature search and wrote the manuscript. Dr. Cendelin was responsible for the mouse brain collections and provided support during the literature search and writing of the manuscript. All the authors contributed equally to the generation of ideas, general editing, and revising the text critically for important intellectual contention. The final manuscript preparation was conducted by the first author.

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Correspondence to Yaroslav Kolinko.

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Kolinko, Y., Kralickova, M. & Cendelin, J. Reduction of Microvessel Number and Length in the Cerebellum of Purkinje Cell Degeneration Mice. Cerebellum 23, 471–478 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-023-01556-y

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