Blood vessels in the mouse tail: progress in anatomical studies.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the structural characteristics of caudal blood vessels in the vasculature of the mouse tail by multiple techniques.

METHODS

We investigated the vascular structure of the mouse tail using a range of techniques, including gross anatomical microscopy, dual-color micro-emulsion perfusion, Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), micro-angiography, histopathology, X-ray microangiography, and scanning electron microscopy. In particular, we performed a comprehensive examination of the transverse caudal vessels and the deep caudal vascular system.

RESULTS

The vasculature of the mouse tail consists of two circulatory systems: the longitudinal circulation system and the local circulation system. The longitudinal system comprises three groups of blood vessels: the middle caudal vessels and the left and right caudal vessels. In addition, we proposed standardized nomenclature for these vessels.

CONCLUSION

We identified two modes of blood circulation in the mouse tail: (1) longitudinal circulation running along the length of the tail and (2) local circulation. These blood vessels were categorized into three types: superficial vessels, deep vessels, and communicating vessels.