RESEARCH ARTICLE


Quantification of Mouse Lung Elastin During Prenatal Development



Paula Rodrigues1, Carlos Gonçalves*, 2, Ana Honório3, José Barros4, Vasco Bairos5
1 Department of Pathology and Veterinary Clinics – University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, (UTAD) Vila Real, Portugal; Center for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
2 Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Histophysiology, Experimental Pathology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra, Portugal; Service of Neonatology, Hospital of the University of Coimbra, Portugal
3 Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra, Portugal
4 Center for Histophysiology, Experimental Pathology and Developmental, Biology, Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra, Portugal; Service of Obstetrics, Hospital of the University of Coimbra, Portugal
5 Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Histophysiology, Experimental Pathology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra, Portugal


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Creative Commons License
© Rodrigues et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/license/by/2.5/), which permits unrestrictive use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal; E-mail: carlos.condeixa@gmail.com;carloscond55@hotmail.com


Abstract

Elastic fibres play a crucial function during the process of lung alveolisation. During the perinatal period, any changes in the elastogenic process during foetal development may result in permanent lifetime defects. In pre-natal life, well-developed pulmonary elastic fibres should favor the pre-natal maturation of the lung and an enhanced alveolisation, which in many species, such as humans begins only after birth. The authors present a quantitative study by image analysis and by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the mouse lungs’ elastic fibre content from the 15th till the 19th gestational day.

Keywords: Lung development, elastic fibres, elastin, desmosin..