Regional blood flows measured in Mongolian gerbil by a modified microsphere method.

Regional blood flow to major organs and regional cerebral blood flow were determined in seven anesthetized male gerbils by a modified microsphere method. Carbonized microspheres, 15 micrometers in diameter and labeled with 85Sr or 141Ce, were injected into the left ventricle by cardiac puncture through the closed thorax, and reference samples of known volume were withdrawn from tail-artery cannula. No significant hemodynamic alterations were observed during microsphere administration, and extraction of 15-micrometers microspheres by the pulmonary or systemic capillary beds was nearly 100%. The adequacy of mixing of microspheres in the left ventricle was also validated. The absolute regional blood flow to various organs and regional cerebral blood flow were expressed in terms of milliliters per minute per gram tissue weight, and the values mostly agreed with those reported previously in rats. The results indicate that the reference sample method can be applied to the gerbil. This method should allow the gerbil, which is an animal widely used in stroke research, to be conveniently used for hemodynamic studies when organ blood flow and regional cerebral blood flow are necessary.