This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to S.S.H. (R01-DK078640), from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) through the HHMI/Vanderbilt University Certificate Program in Molecular Medicine to T.J.W. (GRDOT56006779), the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center (P30-DK020593) and the Vanderbilt Digestive Disease Research Center (P30-DK058404) providing Core Services.

1. Prepare Cannula
<ol>
 <li>Warm a 1-inch long section of PE10 tubing with your fingertips and stretch it so that the tubing becomes thin. 
 Note: the size of the vessel or duct to be cannulated will determine the degree of stretching required. The cannula must be well-stretched for bile duct casts but may only be required to be moderately stretched to fit within the larger portal vein.</li>
 <li>Cut the stretched tubing at a diagonal to generate a beveled tip.</li>
 <li>Cut the other edge of the tubing ...

<ol>
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We have described specific examples for how the portal vein and intrahepatic bile duct systems of the liver can be cast, but this technique can be applied to virtually any other ductal or vascular system with slight adaptations. Previous work has demonstrated the feasibility of this technique in multiple species, including mouse1,2,7-9, duckling10,11, rabbit12,13, dog14, and pig15, and in many organs, including nasal gland14, heart16, bladder<su...

<table border="1">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Name of reagent</td>
 <td>Company</td>
 <td>Catalog number</td>
 <td>Comments</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>PE10 polyethylene tubing</td>
 <td>Fisher Scientific</td>
 <td>1417012P</td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>5-0 surgical black braided silk</td>
 <td>Roboz Surgical</td>
 <td>SUT-15-1</td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Steriject 32 G x 13 mm needle</td>
 <td>Air-tite</td>
 <td>TSK3213</td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Spring scissors</td>
 <td>Fine Science Tools</td>
 <td>15000-08</td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Number 5 forceps</td>
 <td>Fine Science Tools</td>
 <td>91150-20</td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Mercox II kit</td>
 <td>Ladd Research</td>
 <td>21247</td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Benzyl alcohol</td>
 <td>Fisher Scientific</td>
 <td>1816-04</td>
 <td>Only required for BABB-clearing</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Benzyl benzoate</td>
 <td>MP Biomedicals, LLC</td>
 <td>154839</td>
 <td>Only required for BABB-clearing</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Modeling clay</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Scale</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Laboratory scissors</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>15 ml cap polypropylene tubes</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>4% paraformaldahyde</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>15% potassium hydroxide (KOH)</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td>Only required for maceration</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Razor blade</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>100% methanol</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>3 ml luer lock syringe</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>

3-dimensional resin casting and imaging of mouse portal vein or intrahepatic bile duct system

In organs, the correct architecture of vascular and ductal structures is indispensable for proper physiological function, and the formation and maintenance of these structures is a highly regulated process. The analysis of these complex, 3-dimensional structures has greatly depended on either 2-dimensional examination in section or on dye injection studies. These techniques, however, are not able to provide a complete and quantifiable representation of the ductal or vascular structures they are intended to elucidate. Alternatively, the nature of 3-dimensional plastic resin casts generates a permanent snapshot of the system and is a novel and widely useful technique for visualizing and quantifying 3-dimensional structures and networks.
A crucial advantage of the resin casting system is the ability to determine the intact and connected, or communicating, structure of a blood vessel or duct. The structure of vascular and ductal networks are crucial for organ function, and this technique has the potential to aid study of vascular and ductal networks in several ways. Resin casting may be used to analyze normal morphology and functional architecture of a luminal structure, identify developmental morphogenetic changes, and uncover morphological differences in tissue architecture between normal and disease states. Previous work has utilized resin casting to study, for example, architectural and functional defects within the mouse intrahepatic bile duct system that were not reflected in 2-dimensional analysis of the structure1,2, alterations in brain vasculature of a Alzheimer's disease mouse model3, portal vein abnormalities in portal hypertensive and cirrhotic mice4, developmental steps in rat lymphatic maturation between immature and adult lungs5, immediate microvascular changes in the rat liver, pancreas, and kidney in response in to chemical injury6.
Here we present a method of generating a 3-dimensional resin cast of a mouse vascular or ductal network, focusing specifically on the portal vein and intrahepatic bile duct. These casts can be visualized by clearing or macerating the tissue and can then be analyzed. This technique can be applied to virtually any vascular or ductal system and would be directly applicable to any study inquiring into the development, function, maintenance, or injury of a 3-dimensional ductal or vascular structure.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about 3-Dimensional Resin Casting and Imaging of Mouse Portal Vein or Intrahepatic Bile Duct System at JoVE.com

3-Dimensional Resin Casting and Imaging of Mouse Portal Vein or Intrahepatic Bile Duct System

A method of visualizing and quantifying the 3-dimensional structure of mouse hepatic portal vein or intrahepatic bile duct is described. This resin cast technique can also be applied to other ductal or vascular systems and allows for in situ visualization or quantification of a system's intact communicating architecture.

In  organs, the correct architecture of vascular and ductal structures is  indispensable for proper physiological function, and the formation and  ...

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17.1K vistas.  Vanderbilt University. Un método para visualizar y cuantificar la estructura 3-dimensional de la vena portal hepática del ratón o del conducto biliar intrahepático se describe. Esta técnica de colada de resina también se puede aplicar a otros sistemas de conductos o vascular y permite In situ Visualización o cuantificación de arquitectura intacta la comunicación de un sistema.