Summary
Umbilical vessels of spontaneously hypertensive rats, control strain Wistar-Kyoto rats and rats treated with α-methyldopa were compared using the scanning electron microscope and light microscope. Observations with the scanning electron microscope revealed that the venous endothelial cells were relatively flat, giving the luminal surface of the vein a smooth appearance. The nuclear region of the fusiform arterial endothelial cells was responsible for the bumpy appearance of the luminal surface of the artery. Microvilli were a consistent feature of the endothelium in both umbilical vessels. There was no consistant pattern of distribution or density of microvilli within either vessel, but microvilli were more abundant on the luminal surface of the artery than in the vein. The luminal surface of some endothelial cells of the artery had long straight processes which crossed several cells before terminating. Light microscopic observations revealed that the endothelial cells and cells of the tunica intima and media contained an abundance of glycogen. The same layers stained sparsely for acid glycosaminoglycans. Maternal hypertension and treatment of spontaneously hypertensive rats with the antihypertensive drug, α-methyldopa, did not result in significant morphological alterations of either the endothelium or tunica media of the umbilical blood vessels.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albert E, Nayak K (1976) Surface morphology of human aorta as revealed by the scanning electron microscope. Anat Rec 185:223–233
Angiobillo N, Picinelli M (1965) Il problema dei vasi nutritizi nel funicolo ombelicale a termine. Monitore Zoologica Italiano 73:66–73
Asmussen I (1978) Arterial changes in infants of smoking mothers. Postgrad Med J 54:200–204
Asmussen I (1980) Ultrastructure of human umbilical arteries. Studies on arteries from newborn children delivered by nonsmoking, white group D, diabetic mothers. Circ Res 47:620–626
Asmussen I, Kjeldsen K (1975) Intimal ultrastructure of human umbilical arteries. Observations on arteries from newborn children of smoking, and nonsmoking mothers. Circ Res 36:579–589
Boyd J, Hamilton W (1970) The human placenta. W Heffer and Sons, Ltd, Cambridge
Clark J, Glagov S (1976) Luminal surface of distended arteries by scanning electron microscopy: eliminating configuratinal and technical artefacts. Br J Exp Pathol 57:129–135
Fujimoto S, Yamamoto K, Takeshige Y (1975) Electron microscopy of endothelial microvilli of large arteries. Anat Rec 183:259–266
Fujita T, Keiichi T, Tokunaga J (1981) SEM atlas of cells and tissues. Igaku-Shoin Ltd, Tokyo
Gau G, Ryder T, Mackenzie M (1980) The effect of blood flow on the surface morphology of the human endothelium. J Pathol 131:55–64
Gray S (1984) Pressure profiles in neonatal spontaneously hypertensive rats. Biol Neonate 45:25–32
Karnovsky M (1965) A formaldehyde-glutaraldehyde fixative of high osmolality for use in electron microscopy. J Cell Biol 27:137A-138A
Kessel R, Kardon R (1979) Tissues and organs: a text-atlas of scanning electron microscopy. W.H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco
Langelle B, Adamson S (1981) Relationship between blood flow direction and endothelial cell orientation at arterial branch sites in rabbits and mice. Circ Res 48:481–488
Laszt L (1964) Zur Biochemie der Arterienmuskulatur. Bibl Cardiol 15:3–19
Lillie R, Fullmer M (1976) Histopathologic technic and practical histochemistry. McGraw-Hill, New York
Luciano L, Junger E, Reale E (1968) Glykogen in glatten Muskelzellen Gefäßwand von Säugetieren. Elektronenmikroskopische und spectrophotometrische Untersuchungen. Histochemie 15:219–228
Luna L (1968) Manual of histologic staining methods of the armed forces institute of pathology. McGraw-Hill, New York
McKay D, Adams E, Hertig A, Danziger S (1955) Histochemical horizons in human embryos. I. Five millimeter embryo-streeter horizon X111. Anat Rec 122:125–151
Motta P, Andrews P, Porter K (1977) Microanatomy of cell and tissue surfaces. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia
O'Neill C, Follet E (1970) An inverse relation between cell density and the number of microvilli in cultures of BHK 21 hamster fibroblasts. J Cell Sci 7:695–709
Peine C, Low F (1975) Scanning electron microscopy of cardiac endothelium of the dog. Am J Anat 142:137–157
Pfeffer J, Pfeffer M, Frohlich E (1971) Validity of an indirect tailcuff method for determining arterial pressure in unanesthetized normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Lab Clin Med 78:957–962
Schaub R, Rawlings C (1980) Scanning electron microscopy of canine pulmonary arteries and veins. Am J Vet Res 4:1441–1446
Smith U, Ryan J (1973) Electron microscopy of endothelial and epithelial components of the lung: correlations of structure and function. Fed Proc 32:1957–1966
Smith U, Ryan J, Michie D, Smith D (1971) Endothelial projections as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Science 173:925–927
Stewart G, Ritchie W, Lynch P (1973) A scanning and transmission electron microscopic study of canine jugular veins. Scan Electr Microsc part III:473–480
Wolinsky H (1972) Endothelial projections. Science 176:1151
Worthem D (1972) Endothelial projections in Schlemm's canal. Science 175:561–562
Yamada H (1973) The effect of digestion with Streptomyces hyaluronidase upon certain reactions of hyaluronic acid-containing tissues. J Histochem Cytochem 21:794–803
Yamori Y (1977) Pathogenesis of spontaneously hypertension as a model for essential hypertension. Jpn Circ J 41:259–266
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Scott, J.N., Kolodzik, J.M., Pendergrass, P.B. et al. Umbilical vessels of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Anat Embryol 170, 289–294 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318732
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318732