Abstract
Studying blood microcirculation is vital for gaining insights into vascular diseases. Acute administration of fluorescent tracers is currently used for deep tissue blood flow imaging. This is invasive, and the plasma fluorescence decreases within an hour of administration. We report a novel approach for the longitudinal study of vasculature. Using a single systemic administration of viral vectors, we express fluorescent secretory albumin-fusion proteins in the liver to label the blood in mice. All segments of the vasculature in brain and peripheral tissue are observable by two-photon microscopy within two weeks of vector administration. This approach allows for observation of circulation without the need for repeated administration for several months. We demonstrate the chronic assessment of vascular functions at micro-and mesoscopic scales. This genetic plasma labeling approach represents a versatile and cost-effective method for the chronic investigation of vasculature functions across the body in health and disease.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Sources of Funding: This work was supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (HaH, NNF19OC0058058), Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond (0134-00107B), the Olav Thon Foundation (MN), the Lundbeck Foundation (MN), the program for Brain Mapping by Integrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies (HiH, Brain/MINDS, JP20dm0207057 and JP21dm0207111) by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and development (AMED) and JSPS KAKENHI (AK,) by MEXT, Japan.