Distribution of tracheal and laryngeal mucous glands in some rodents and the rabbit

We used scanning electron microscopy to count the number of mucous gland openings in the tracheae and lower portion of the larynges of the rat, guinea pig, hamster, mouse and rabbit. Cells of the airway surface epithelium were removed by protease digestion better to visualise the gland openings. The distribution of glands was further studied by conventional histology and by PAS/Alcian blue staining of whole mounts. In all rodent species, gland openings in the larynx occurred with a frequency of 1-2 per mm2. Mice had no gland openings in their tracheae, and hamsters, only a handful. Rat tracheae contained 126+/-42 gland openings (+/-S.D.; n = 6) at a frequency of approximately 0.6 per mm2 at the top of the trachea and approximately 0.15 per mm2 at the bottom. Guinea pig tracheae contained 153+/-90 gland openings (+/-S.D.; n = 5), with 54% being in the top 40% of the trachea. In both rat and guinea pig, tracheal glands were found in the ventral aspect between the cartilaginous rings, and were absent from the dorsal membranous portion. Gland openings in most species were simple circles of approximately 50 microm diameter. However, glands in the rat trachea generally opened obliquely into shallow (approximately 20 microm deep) oval troughs (approximately 150 x 75 microm), which had their long axes oriented from head to tail. In the rabbit, there was no evidence of tracheal or laryngeal glands histologically. However, the tracheal and laryngeal surfaces contained numerous pits (approximately 30 microm diameter) distributed evenly over and between cartilages at a frequency of approximately 4 per mm2. These may correspond to the 'nests' of goblet cells described by others.

Regulation of the depth of surface liquid in bovine trachea

The luminal surface of airways is lined by a thin film of airway surface liquid (ASL). Physiological regulation of the depth of ASL has not been reported previously. In this paper, we have used low-temperature scanning electron microscopy of rapidly frozen specimens of bovine tracheal epithelium to demonstrate alterations in the depth of ASL in response to the cholinergic agonist methacholine. We first established that methacholine selectively stimulated airway glands, with maximal secretion at approximately 2 min and a return to baseline within approximately 5 min. A 2-min exposure to methacholine increased the depth of ASL from 23 to 78 microns. Thereafter, depth decreased linearly with time, reaching 32 microns at 30 min. The initial increase in depth was blocked by bumetanide, an inhibitor of active chloride secretion, whereas the slow decline back to baseline was inhibited by amiloride, a blocker of active sodium absorption. We conclude that the methacholine-induced changes in ASL depth reflect transient gland secretion followed by liquid absorption across the surface epithelium.

Regulation of depth and composition of airway surface liquid

The depth and composition of human airway surface liquid (ASL) may depend on secretion from airway glands, ion transport across the surface epithelium, goblet cell discharge, transepithelial gradients in hydrostatic pressure, and surface tension. Published values for the frequency of airway glands and for the secretory rates of individual glands suggest that total gland secretion in human trachea can amount to approximately 60 microL x cm(-2) x h(-1). Volume absorption directly measured across cultures of surface epithelium from human trachea is approximately 5 microL x cm(-2) x h(-1). These flows should alter the depth of ASL at +10 and -1 microm x min(-1). We have looked for changes in ASL depth of this magnitude using low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (LT-SEM) of rapidly frozen specimens of bovine trachea. Stimulation of gland secretion with methacholine led to an initial increase in depth of approximately 25 microm x min(-1) followed by a decline at approximately 1.5 microm x min(-1). Whereas the initial increase in depth was probably due to transient gland secretion, the later decline reflected active absorption of liquid across the surface epithelium. Finally, we present preliminary data showing that LT-SEM can be combined with X-ray microanalysis to determine the elemental composition of ASL.

Digital photogrammetric quantification of surface area and volume on scanning electron micrographs of frozen hydrated lung tissue

A digital video plotter (DVP, Leica), the personal computer equivalent of an analytical plotter, was used to measure the coordinates of points chosen from stereo pair images of the surface of frozen hydrated lung imaged at magnifications of 2000 and 5000 X with a low-temperature scanning electron microscope (SEM). Rat lung tissue was frozen in vivo with a liquid nitrogen cryoprobe under carefully controlled physiologic conditions. At slow freezing rates, water in the aqueous layer at the surface of the lung segregates into ice crystals (dendrites) which branch in the plane of the surface. Coordinates of points on dendrite surfaces were measured by the DVP and passed to TERRAMODEL (Plus III Software, a land modeling program) where they were used to generate a three-dimensional model, from which surface area and planimetric area of the lung surface were calculated. Additional measurements were made at the top and bottom of the ice structures and a Basic language program was written to calculate the volume of ice on the lung surface. Digital photogrammetry coupled with low-temperature SEM of frozen samples allows measurement of water and water-containing microstructures ubiquitous in biology.

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy of particle-exposed mouse lung

Inflated frozen mouse lungs were examined using low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) following bulk fracture under vacuum. Various aspects of pulmonary architecture were identified and correlated with structures revealed by SEM following conventional fixation and preparation techniques. Surface etching of selected samples was performed by radiant heating, revealing characteristic cytoplasmic, nuclear and extracellular lattice patterns resulting from ice crystal formation during freezing. These patterns aided in distinguishing between intra- and extracellular spaces. Pulmonary fluids such as mucus and surfactant were identified. Iron oxide particles were introduced into the lungs of some animals by intratracheal instillation and were subsequently identified in frozen-hydrated lung tissue using characteristic X-ray identification and mapping techniques. Particles were observed both intra-and extracellularly and were commonly found in large deposits. These observations confirm the utility of LTSEM techniques for examination of particles within pulmonary tissue. Particle exposure by intratracheal instillation was found to result in a non-uniform distributional pattern.

Morphological criteria for comparing effects of X-rays and neon ions on mouse small intestine

Several techniques have been used to assess changes in different parts of mouse small intestine three days after a single dose of either 16.5 Gy X-rays or 11 Gy neon beam. The doses were chosen to be approximately equivalent in terms of their effect on the number of microcolonies present. In qualitative terms, villous damage was seen after both types of radiation exposure: collared crypts, similar to those seen in biopsies taken from patients suffering from coeliac disease, were conspicuous after neon irradiation. In semi quantitative terms the doses used, although estimated from previous work to give biologically equivalent damage, produced a greater drop in microcolony numbers after X-irradiation. This makes all the more important the fact that significantly greater changes were seen after neon irradiation-a greater drop was seen in the number of villous profiles and the number of goblet cells per villus. There was also greater breakdown in the integrity of the villous basement membrane. Different responses after the two types of irradiation are therefore seen in the cryptal and villous compartment. Progress is being made towards identifying and quantitating radiation induced changes in different populations of cells or tissues in the small intestine.

Etched surfaces of plastic embedded and frozen hydrated gastrointestinal tissue

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is most often used to describe the structure of natural surfaces, but it can also be used to examine surfaces created artificially by sectioning or cryofracture. When plasma etched resin sections are studied, the SEM combines some of the functions of a light microscope and a transmission electron microscope. When etched frozen hydrated tissue is examined the groundwork is laid for the use of X-ray microanalysis for the study of elemental concentrations in tissue unexposed to chemical agents of any kind. Examples are given of the study of jejunum and stomach with these two techniques. The results are integrated with data from conventional SEM images to produce composite diagrams which assist with the interpretation of function and topographical morphology.

Low temperature scanning electron microscope studies of mouse small intestine

Etched frozen hydrated specimens of mouse small intestine have been examined with low temperature scanning electron microscopy as a preliminary to X-ray microanalysis. Recognizable images have been obtained of most of the known histological features of the gut. Nuclear and cytoplasmic details were often seen. Ice crystal damage was evident, although the degree of artefact depended on the cell type being examined and also varied from cell to cell or within cells. The same specimens were later examined with resin light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. These two techniques confirmed that preservation was adequate for identification of cells and tissues, although cavities were seen, representing ice crystal damage. These preliminary results indicate that SEM of etched, frozen, hydrated specimens provides adequate identification of cellular detail to allow further work using X-ray microanalysis to be carried out.