engleski

Structural characteristics of femoral arteries in wild-type and TFF3 knock-out mice on standard and high-salt diet

Trefoil factor family 3 (Tff3) protein is a small secretory peptide that promotes angiogenesis. Microvessel density in some malignant tumors is dependent upon Tff3 expression (1, 2). The effect of Tff3 peptide deficiency on the vascular response to a high-salt diet has not been thoroughly investigated yet. Recent research on mice showed that the lack of the Tff3 gene was partly protective regarding structural changes of the aorta in mice on a high-salt diet. Aortae of Tff3 knockout mice had thicker tunica media and thinner tunica adventitia than wild-type mice ; mechanisms behind this phenomenon are still unknown (3). The aim of this research was to examine the structural characteristics of femoral arteries in wild-type and Tff3 knock-out mice on standard or high-salt diet. Femoral arteries from 22 mice were isolated, fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and paraffin-embedded. Histological slides 6 µm-thick were prepared and stained using picrosirius red and orcein staining techniques. Animals were divided into four groups (wild-type and Tff3 knock-out mice on standard or high-salt diet). Area and diameter of the femoral artery, its lumen, wall, media, and adventitia were measured, as well as the area occupied by collagen and elastin. Free and open-source image manipulation and/or analysis programs GIMP and FIJI were used for image preparation and analysis. Femoral arteries exhibited normal morphology in all groups when examined using bright-field microscopy. No significant differences were found in the measured morphological properties of the femoral arteries, such as wall thickness, artery and lumen radius, wall to lumen radius and area ratio, share of collagen and elastin. Using Tff3 knock-out animals to study the effects of a high-salt diet on blood vessel function and morphology is a new area of research. More studies are needed to elucidate the effect of Tff3-deficiency in this experimental context. For example, research on large elastic and mid-size muscular arteries was performed until now, however, small resistance blood vessels should be also investigated, since they are important in the regulation of systemic blood pressure. 1. Ahmed ARH, Griffiths AB, Tilby MT, Westley BR, May FEB. TFF3 is a normal breast epithelial protein and is associated with differentiated phenotype in early breast cancer but predisposes to invasion and metastasis in advanced disease. Am J Pathol. 2012. ; 180(3):904–16. 2. Bijelić N, Abramović M, Rajc J, Rođak E, Marušić Z, Levak MT, i sur. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Affects TFF3 Peptide Expression in Luminal B Subtype of Breast Cancer – A Pilot Study. Southeast Eur Med J. 2020. ; 4(2):20–7. 3. Kozina N, Mihaljević Z, Lončar MB, Mihalj M, Mišir M, Radmilović MD, i sur. Impact of High Salt Diet on Cerebral Vascular Function and Stroke in Tff3-/-/C57BL/6N Knockout and WT (C57BL/6N) Control Mice. Int J Mol Sci. 2019. ; 20(20).

Femoral Artery ; Morphological and Microscopic Findings ; Tff3 ; High-Salt Diet

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