Pattern of blood vessels in forelimbs of three strains of mice

A technique was developed for visualizing the pattern of arteries in the adult mouse forelimb. The aorta was cannulated and injected with blue stained Batson's Number 17 Anatomic Compound to perfuse the forelimb arteries; the ossified skeleton was stained and the soft tissues were cleared, making it possible to examine the entire arterial system in the intact specimen. The pattern of distribution of arteries were compared in 120 forelimbs from three strains of mice, two inbred and one hybrid. Significant differences between the three strains were found for 9 of 16 variations evaluated. Differences in the point of origin of vessels were the most common; differences in the fusion of vessels, the extension of vessels and the presence of extra vessels were also identified. The patterns were much more constant in the two inbred strains than in the hybrid strain, suggesting the importance of genetic factors in determining the arterial pattern. Absence of major vessels and an abnormal persistence of embryonic vessels, which have been observed in association with skeletal malformations, were not observed in any of the 120 normal adult mouse forelimbs examined.