Time-Dependent Alterations in Rat Macrovessels with Type 1 Diabetes

Figure 2

Morphological duration-dependent changes in the aorta of diabetic rats. Control aorta showed a typical H&E staining pattern with SMCs and elastic layers staining pink (lighter and darker, resp.) while nuclei were purple. At the 150-day time point, the SMC layers became slightly less defined and the vessel wall was reduced in cross-sectional area. The measured vessel wall width (tunica intima-media width) is illustrated by the gray arrow in the 100-day control image. An example of the SMC layer width measurements is shown with a solid black line in the 100 day control image (Magnification: 40x).