Comparison of spinal vasculature in mouse and rat: investigations using magnetic resonance angiography

Introduction Spinal vascular system is the conduit through which nutrition, cells and drugs access the parenchyma of the spinal cord (SC). This system is severely damaged as a principal consequence of the spinal cord injury (SCI). The initial vascular damage plays a critical role in establishing the course of the well-established postinjury cascade including compromised blood spinal cord permeability, hypoxia, activation of various factors and, subsequently, secondary injuries. Histological data from experiments with rat and mouse models have indicated that neuropathological differences exist in injury responses between these rodents (Fig. 1) [1]. It is conceivable that these differences may be due to species-specific differences in the vascular organization of the spine. The aim of this study is to test this hypothesis by using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) as an in vivo imaging tool to visualize the organization of the arterial network in normal mouse spine and parenchyma, and compare it with that of normal rat.