Scanning Electron Microscopic Observation on Early Vascular Lesion in Rat Lung Administered with Monocrotaline

Monocrotaline을 투여한 백서 폐의 초기 혈관병변에 관한 주사전자현미경적 관찰

An experimental study was performed to observe the early effects of monocrotaline on pulmonary vascular system by means of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, attempting to expore the mechanism behind the process of pulmonary hypertension. Experimental animal(Sprague-Dawley male rats ; 150-200g B. W.) were intra-peritoneal administered with 100mg/kg B. W. monocrotaline. Authors observed light microscopically various gradational increase of wall thickness in pulmonary muscular and non-muscular arteries in duration from 2 weeks to 5 weeks after monocrotaline administration and the changes were more sever in the latter than the former. The scanning electron microscopy shows severe and diffuse endothelical cell swelling, microvilli and microbleb formation since 1 hour after monocrotaline administration and during the course, after 5 hours the severity of endothelial cell damage was prominent with presence of fibrin, webs, platelet thrombi and white cell adherence. It was concluded that the monocrotaline primarily induced severe and diffuse endothelial cell damage of pulmonary arteries and laterly added the participation of platelets, which attributed to the pathogenesis of monocrotaline induced pulmonary vascular lesions in relation to pulmonary hypertension.