Multiscale Three‐Dimensional Evaluation and Analysis of Murine Lung Vasculature From Macro‐ to Micro‐Structural Level

ABSTRACT The pulmonary vasculature plays a pivotal role in the development and progress of chronic lung diseases. Due to limitations of conventional two‐dimensional histological methods, the complexity and the detailed anatomy of the lung blood circulation might be overlooked. In this study, we demo...

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Main Authors: Birger Tielemans, Nora F. Marain, Axelle Kerstens, Nicolas Peredo, Montserrat Coll‐Lladó, Nicola Gritti, Perrine deVillemagne, Paul Dorval, Vincent Geudens, Michaela Orlitová, Sebastian Munck, Bartosz Leszczyński, Jim Swoger, Greetje Vande Velde
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-01-01
Series:Pulmonary Circulation
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/pul2.70038
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author Birger Tielemans
Nora F. Marain
Axelle Kerstens
Nicolas Peredo
Montserrat Coll‐Lladó
Nicola Gritti
Perrine deVillemagne
Paul Dorval
Vincent Geudens
Michaela Orlitová
Sebastian Munck
Bartosz Leszczyński
Jim Swoger
Greetje Vande Velde
author_facet Birger Tielemans
Nora F. Marain
Axelle Kerstens
Nicolas Peredo
Montserrat Coll‐Lladó
Nicola Gritti
Perrine deVillemagne
Paul Dorval
Vincent Geudens
Michaela Orlitová
Sebastian Munck
Bartosz Leszczyński
Jim Swoger
Greetje Vande Velde
author_sort Birger Tielemans
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT The pulmonary vasculature plays a pivotal role in the development and progress of chronic lung diseases. Due to limitations of conventional two‐dimensional histological methods, the complexity and the detailed anatomy of the lung blood circulation might be overlooked. In this study, we demonstrate the practical use of optical serial block face imaging (SBFI), ex vivo microcomputed tomography (micro‐CT), and nondestructive optical tomography for visualization and quantification of the pulmonary circulation's 3D architecture from macro‐ to micro‐structural levels in murine lung samples. We demonstrate that SBFI can provide rapid, cost‐effective, and label‐free visualization of mouse lung macrostructures and large pulmonary vessels. Micro‐CT offers high‐resolution imaging and captures microvascular and (pre)capillary structures, with microstructural quantification. Optical microscopy techniques such as optical projection tomography (OPT) and light sheet fluorescence microscopy, allows noninvasive, mesoscopic imaging of optically cleared mouse lungs, still enabling 3D microscopic reconstruction down to the precapillary level. By integrating SBFI, micro‐CT, and nondestructive optical microscopy, we provide a framework for detailed and 3D understanding of the pulmonary circulation, with emphasis on vascular pruning and rarefaction. Our study showcases the applicability and complementarity of these techniques for organ‐level vascular imaging, offering researchers flexibility in selecting the optimal approach based on their specific requirements. In conclusion, we propose 3D‐directed approaches for a detailed whole‐organ view on the pulmonary vasculature in health and disease, to advance our current knowledge of diseases affecting the pulmonary vasculature.
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spelling doaj-art-454f923080a74e229b66d382952ccffb2025-08-20T01:50:07ZengWileyPulmonary Circulation2045-89402025-01-01151n/an/a10.1002/pul2.70038Multiscale Three‐Dimensional Evaluation and Analysis of Murine Lung Vasculature From Macro‐ to Micro‐Structural LevelBirger Tielemans0Nora F. Marain1Axelle Kerstens2Nicolas Peredo3Montserrat Coll‐Lladó4Nicola Gritti5Perrine deVillemagne6Paul Dorval7Vincent Geudens8Michaela Orlitová9Sebastian Munck10Bartosz Leszczyński11Jim Swoger12Greetje Vande Velde13Department of Imaging and Pathology, Biomedical MRI KU Leuven Leuven BelgiumDepartment of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism, Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Surgery (BREATHE) KU Leuven Leuven BelgiumVIB Bio Imaging Core, KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute Leuven BelgiumVIB Bio Imaging Core, KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute Leuven BelgiumEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Barcelona Barcelona SpainEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Barcelona Barcelona SpainKaer Labs Nantes FranceKaer Labs Nantes FranceDepartment of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism, Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Surgery (BREATHE) KU Leuven Leuven BelgiumDepartment of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven Leuven BelgiumVIB Bio Imaging Core, KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute Leuven BelgiumDepartment of Medical Physics, M. Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science Jagiellonian University Kraków PolandEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Barcelona Barcelona SpainDepartment of Imaging and Pathology, Biomedical MRI KU Leuven Leuven BelgiumABSTRACT The pulmonary vasculature plays a pivotal role in the development and progress of chronic lung diseases. Due to limitations of conventional two‐dimensional histological methods, the complexity and the detailed anatomy of the lung blood circulation might be overlooked. In this study, we demonstrate the practical use of optical serial block face imaging (SBFI), ex vivo microcomputed tomography (micro‐CT), and nondestructive optical tomography for visualization and quantification of the pulmonary circulation's 3D architecture from macro‐ to micro‐structural levels in murine lung samples. We demonstrate that SBFI can provide rapid, cost‐effective, and label‐free visualization of mouse lung macrostructures and large pulmonary vessels. Micro‐CT offers high‐resolution imaging and captures microvascular and (pre)capillary structures, with microstructural quantification. Optical microscopy techniques such as optical projection tomography (OPT) and light sheet fluorescence microscopy, allows noninvasive, mesoscopic imaging of optically cleared mouse lungs, still enabling 3D microscopic reconstruction down to the precapillary level. By integrating SBFI, micro‐CT, and nondestructive optical microscopy, we provide a framework for detailed and 3D understanding of the pulmonary circulation, with emphasis on vascular pruning and rarefaction. Our study showcases the applicability and complementarity of these techniques for organ‐level vascular imaging, offering researchers flexibility in selecting the optimal approach based on their specific requirements. In conclusion, we propose 3D‐directed approaches for a detailed whole‐organ view on the pulmonary vasculature in health and disease, to advance our current knowledge of diseases affecting the pulmonary vasculature.https://doi.org/10.1002/pul2.700383D visualization and evaluationmicrocomputed tomographyoptical imagingpulmonary vasculatureserial block face imaging
spellingShingle Birger Tielemans
Nora F. Marain
Axelle Kerstens
Nicolas Peredo
Montserrat Coll‐Lladó
Nicola Gritti
Perrine deVillemagne
Paul Dorval
Vincent Geudens
Michaela Orlitová
Sebastian Munck
Bartosz Leszczyński
Jim Swoger
Greetje Vande Velde
Multiscale Three‐Dimensional Evaluation and Analysis of Murine Lung Vasculature From Macro‐ to Micro‐Structural Level
Pulmonary Circulation
3D visualization and evaluation
microcomputed tomography
optical imaging
pulmonary vasculature
serial block face imaging
title Multiscale Three‐Dimensional Evaluation and Analysis of Murine Lung Vasculature From Macro‐ to Micro‐Structural Level
title_full Multiscale Three‐Dimensional Evaluation and Analysis of Murine Lung Vasculature From Macro‐ to Micro‐Structural Level
title_fullStr Multiscale Three‐Dimensional Evaluation and Analysis of Murine Lung Vasculature From Macro‐ to Micro‐Structural Level
title_full_unstemmed Multiscale Three‐Dimensional Evaluation and Analysis of Murine Lung Vasculature From Macro‐ to Micro‐Structural Level
title_short Multiscale Three‐Dimensional Evaluation and Analysis of Murine Lung Vasculature From Macro‐ to Micro‐Structural Level
title_sort multiscale three dimensional evaluation and analysis of murine lung vasculature from macro to micro structural level
topic 3D visualization and evaluation
microcomputed tomography
optical imaging
pulmonary vasculature
serial block face imaging
url https://doi.org/10.1002/pul2.70038
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