Where and how do leukocytes stall in retinal microcirculation: A spatiotemporal analysis with a focus on junctions and pericytes.

ABSTRACT: Irregularities in cellular flow, such as stalls in capillaries, can be potential sources of capillary dysfunction, which significantly impacts oxygen delivery to the central nervous system (CNS). Leukocytes, particularly neutrophils, can act as the stalling elements due to changes in their adhesive or mechanical features. However, the dynamic features of leukocyte stalls in CNS, specifically in the retina, have not been studied in vivo in detail to disclose their association with capillary pericytes and junctions, and their direct influence on red blood cell (RBC) flow. In this study, via in vivo fluorescence microscopy of the retinal capillary network of anesthetized mice and labeling of leukocytes, we characterized the spatiotemporal dynamics of leukocyte travel and their stalls.

SUBMITTER: Basaran MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12685727 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature