# Evaluation and modelling of vascular microstructures evolution during normal and pathological aging using synchrotron X-ray three-dimensional microtomography

Alexandra Fontaine, Xiaowen Liang, Dênnis José da Silva, Aïcha Ben Zemzem, Laetitia Vanalderwiert, Béatrice Romier-Crouzet, Sébastien Blaise, Anne-Elisabeth Molza, Hua Wong, Jean-Charles Boisson, et al.

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## To cite this version:

Alexandra Fontaine, Xiaowen Liang, Dênnis José da Silva, Aïcha Ben Zemzem, Laetitia Vanalderwiert, et al.. Evaluation and modelling of vascular microstructures evolution during normal and pathological aging using synchrotron X-ray three-dimensional microtomography. Congrès de la section 28 "Pharmacologie, Ingénierie et technologie pour la santé, Imagerie biomédicale" du Comité National de la Recherche Scientifique, 2025, Reims, France. hal-05114988

HAL Id: hal-05114988

https://hal.science/hal-05114988v1

Submitted on 16 Jun 2025

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# Evaluation and modelling of vascular microstructures evolution during normal and pathological aging using synchrotron X-ray three-dimensional microtomography

Alexandra Fontaine<fnref n="1" />, Dênnis Da Silva<fnref n="1" />,<fnref n="2" />, Xiaowen Liang<fnref n="1" />,<fnref n="2" />, Aicha Ben Zemzem<fnref n="1" />, Laetitia Vanalderwiert<fnref n="1" />, Béatrice Romier-Crouzet<fnref n="1" />, Sébastien Blaise<fnref n="1" />, Anne-Elisabeth Molza<fnref n="1" />, Hua Wong<fnref n="1" />, Jean-Charles Boisson<fnref n="3" />, Edith Grall<fnref n="4" />, Guillaume Dollé<fnref n="5" />, Florian Blachère<fnref n="6" />, Stéphanie Salmon<fnref n="5" />, Stéphanie Baud<fnref n="1" />, Luiz-Angelo Steffenel<fnref n="3" />, Pierre Beauseroy<fnref n="4" />, Timm Weitkamp<fnref n="7" />, Nicolas Passat<fnref n="2" />, Laurent Debelle<fnref n="1" />, Sébastien Almagro<fnref n="1" />

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Laboratoire
de Mathématiques
de Reims

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## Background:

**Vascular aging**, either **normal or pathological**, is characterized by slow, insidious, and asymptomatic alterations of vascular structures, notably elastic lamellae. Unfortunately, the **early events** forecasting more severe alterations **remain mostly undocumented**.

The **extracellular matrix** (ECM) of large elastic arteries is a complex structure supporting and anchoring cells, enabling dynamic expansion and elastic recoil. **Elastin** is the insoluble fibrous ECM protein responsible for **elasticity**. Deposited until teen-age, it ages and is remodeled during aging. In vascular pathologies, elastin can be severely altered and/or degraded, leading to serious functional disorders (**aneurysm** formation, **atherosclerosis** progression).

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Blausen.com staff (2014). "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014"

## ANR MODELAGE: Extract aging information from vessel elastic structures

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**Functional prediction: numerical**
**Computed Fluid Dynamics simulations:**

The data can be used to try to predict functional damage to the aorta: structural change and functional damage are two separate things.

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Example of C.F.D. in brain (S. Salmon, ANR VivaBrain)

## Results:

<figure><img src="image_16.png" /><figcaption>Synchrotron X-ray µ-CT reveals an hidden lattice-like structure inside the aortic wall</figcaption></figure>

Exploring the elastic structure of mouse aorta wall reveals a braided network inside the elastic lamellae. A. Increasing the lower voxel intensity threshold reveals a network formed of higher phase-contrasted elastin. B, 90% thresholding value shows details of the network and its alternate braiding as visible on magnifications where filaments appear to be differentially oriented regarding to their depth inside the artery wall. C, Filaments (pink) are not localized in any particular areas of the lamellae as visible in magnification.

<figure><img src="image_17.png" /><figcaption>Diabetes alters the elastic lamellae and the lattice-like structure</figcaption></figure>

Comparison of 6-month-old control and diabetic mice. Magnifications show the smoothening of diabetic elastic lamellae and thresholding of the 3D reconstructed volume shows the loss for the lattice-like filament network in diabetic mice.

<figure><img src="image_18.png" /><figcaption>Diabetes induces a loss of 24.88% of the
sagittal distansibility of the elastic lamellae
in the abdominal part of the aorta</figcaption></figure>

Box charts of ratio between euclidean distance and geodesic distance of fragments of elastic lamellae obtained for control (C57Bl6J) and diabetic (db/db) 6-month mice. (Left) only the thoracic region (*p-value* < 0.065), and (right) only the abdominal region (*p-value* < 0.02).

## Conclusions:

We have created and developed an original and powerful method for measuring numerous structural and functional parameters of the extracellular matrix of the vascular wall. Not only has this method made it possible to find a completely new structure inside the aortic wall, but this technique, combined with the original computer processing we have developed, makes it possible to measure a large number of structural and functional parameters of the extracellular matrix of the vascular wall allowing the detection of fine changes in the structure linked to diabetic alterations. We therefore feel confident that we will eventually distinguish pathological from age-related damages.

## Perspectives:

Aortic alterations
in intermittent
hypoxia and genetic
disorders in mice models
(collaboration with
Gilles FAURY,
Univ. Grenoble-Alpes)

<figure><img src="image_19.png" /><figcaption>Exploration of the perivascular tissue:
role in pathological aging</figcaption></figure>

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<footnote n="1">1 Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, CNRS, UMR 7369 MEDyC, Reims, France.</footnote>

<footnote n="2">2 Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, UR 3804 CReSTIC, Reims, France.</footnote>

<footnote n="3">3 Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, UR 3690 LRC DIGIT, Reims, France.</footnote>

<footnote n="4">4 Université de Technologie de Troyes, LIST3N, Troyes, France.</footnote>

<footnote n="5">5 Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, CNRS, UMR 9008 LMR, Reims, France.</footnote>

<footnote n="6">6 Université de Technologie de Troyes, GAMMA3, Troyes, France.</footnote>

<footnote n="7">7 Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin, France.</footnote>