Vascular Architecture of the Liver in SHR and WKY Rats

The liver is a highly complex vascular organ containing an intricate network of arteries, arterioles, portal veins, veins, venules, and capillaries. This complex network could change in situations related to vascular disease such as hypertension. We examined the vasculature in rat livers by scanning electron microscopy. The tissue was prepared by perfusing either Mercox resin or polyurethane resin into the vasculature. Once the resin polymerized, each liver was placed in concentrated potassium hydroxide to corrode the tissue from the vascular casts. The casts were critical point dried, sputter coated with gold-palladium, and viewed by scanning electron microscopy. Examination of the vascular architecture showed the circulatory patterns in the various lobes of the liver. The capillaries from the arterial and portal venous supply were continuous with the venous drainage. The information gathered in this study may aid ongoing research in hypertension studies and future studies involving liver regeneration