A novel femur window chamber for in vivo studies of bone microcirculation

作者：Kasiyaphat Atchareeya; Siriviriyakul Prasong; Patumraj Suthiluk^*

来源：Asian Biomedicine, 2007, 1(3): 301-305.

• bone
• confocal laser microscopy
• femur bone
• fluorescence videomicroscopy
• leukocyte adhesion
• microcirculation
• window chamber

Background. Due to technical difficulties of in vivo observation of blood flow and microvessels in bone, no study has been done concerning the role of blood flow in bone remodeling.
Objective: To develop a new window chamber for microscopic observation of the microcirculation in living bone, and to examine the utility of the chamber using rat femur in health and diseases.
Methods: A stainless chamber (19 mm in diameter and 5 mm in height) with a circular window (7.5 mm in diameter) for microscopic observation was developed. The chamber was put on rat femur which was exposed for direct observation of the microvasculature. Intravital observation was made of bone blood flow and microvessels, using fluorescence videomicroscopy and confocal laser microscopy. The utility of the chamber was examined based on images of microcirculation (normal and abnormal) in the femur bone.
Results and conclusions: Images of rat femur microvasculature were enhanced in the quality by use of the femur window chamber. The new chamber provides a powerful tool for in vivo studies of the bone microcirculation in health and diseases.

• 出版日期2007-10