<p>This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</p> <p>In vivo observations of the mouse microcirculation can
hardly be performed due to technical difficulties, limiting
the knowledge that could be obtained from gene manipulated
mice models. The aim of the present study was to
check the applicability of a novel optical system, the orthogonal
polarization spectral technology, to study the mouse
microcirculation. In anaesthetized mice, the spinotrapezius
muscle microcirculation was observed in situ. The diameter
of precapillary arterioles was measured before and after
a pharmacological or hormonal stimulation. High-contrast
images of the muscle microcirculation were obtained and
significant vasodilatation of arterioles was observed after
topical applications of acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside,
and insulin. As compared to conventional techniques, orthogonal
polarization spectral imaging makes it possible to
assess and study microvascular beds in mice, which were inaccessible
until now, allowing the use of gene manipulated
mice to investigate, for example, the mechanisms involved
in the development of diabetic microangiopathy.</p>
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Exp Diabesity Res. 2004; 5(3):211-217