A Method to Examine the Microarchitecture of Key Decellularized Nephron Segments Using Intravital Microscopy

This study contains intravital microscopy (IVM) data examining the microarchitecture of acellular kidney scaffolds. Acellular scaffolds are cell-free collagen-based matrices derived from native organs that can be used as templates for regenerative medicine applications. This data set contains <i>in vivo</i> assays that evaluate the effectiveness of decellularization and how these acellular nephron compartments perform in the post-transplantation environment. Qualitative and quantitative assessments of scaffold DNA concentrations, tissue fluorescence signals, and structural and functional integrities of decellularized tubular and peritubular capillary segments were acquired and compared to the native (non-transplanted) organ. Cohorts of 2-3-month-old male Sprague Dawley rats were used: non-transplanted (n = 4), transplanted day 0 (n = 4), transplanted day 1 (n = 4), transplanted day 2 (n = 4), and transplanted day 7 (n = 4). Micrographs and supporting measurements are provided to illustrate IVM processes used to perform this study and are publicly available in a data repository to assist scientific reproducibility and extend the use of this powerful imaging application to analyze other scaffold systems.

本研究包含活体显微镜（intravital microscopy, IVM）数据，用于探究脱细胞肾支架的微观结构。脱细胞支架是源自天然器官的无细胞胶原蛋白基质，可作为再生医学应用的模板。本数据集包含体内（in vivo）实验，用于评估脱细胞处理的效果，以及此类脱细胞肾单位腔室在移植后环境中的表现。研究获取了支架DNA浓度、组织荧光信号，以及脱细胞肾小管与管周毛细血管节段的结构和功能完整性的定性与定量评估结果，并将其与天然（未移植）器官进行对比。实验采用2-3月龄的雄性斯普拉格-道利大鼠，分为如下组别：未移植组（n=4）、移植后0天组（n=4）、移植后1天组（n=4）、移植后2天组（n=4）以及移植后7天组（n=4）。本研究提供了显微图像及配套测量数据，用以说明本次研究采用的IVM实验流程，相关数据已公开存储于数据仓库，以助力科学研究的可重复性，并推广该先进成像技术在其他支架系统分析中的应用。