An ex vivo preparation is described for isolation of the largest gracilis muscle resistance arterioles for interrogation of both vascular responses to vasoactive stimuli and the assessment of basic structural properties via passive wall mechanics.
The unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) protocol is a validated method for studying behavioral and physiological changes associated with chronic stress and depressive symptoms. Eight weeks of imposition of the UCMS protocol induces behavioral changes and poor health outcomes in rodents of either gender.
This protocol describes a non-enzymatic and straightforward method for isolating 7-9-day-old neonatal mouse bone marrow cells and generating differentiated macrophages using a supernatant of L929 cells as a source of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). The bone marrow-derived macrophages were further analyzed for surface antigens F4/80, CD206, CD11b, and functional competency.