Single wire myograph 320A

for preclinical research

The Single Wire Myograph System - 320A is ideal for studying a single vessel with a diameter of 30μm - 3mm. The vessel is mounted as a ring preparation by threading it over two parallel stainless steel wires and securing the wires to two mounting “jaws.” One support is attached to a precision micrometer, allowing manual control of vessel circumference and stretch. The other support is attached to a force transducer for measurements of force/tension development. The preparation is mounted in a heated 10ml acid-resistant stainless steel chamber, which can be covered with a lid featuring ports for rapid suction/draining, refilling, and bubbling of oxygen. The base of the chamber contains a window allowing morphological observation or fluorescence measurements on an inverted microscope. Typically, the preparation is kept in the heated vessel chamber in a physiological salt solution at 37°C, bubbled with oxygen, where the vessels remain viable for up to 12 hours. Following mounting and equilibration, the passive length-tension relationship of the vessel is determined. During the actual experiment, the circumference of the vessel is kept constant. Compounds can be added directly to the chamber, and the vessel's contractility and reactivity are measured under isometric conditions. An electronic valve can be added to the system for easy control and emptying of the chamber as an option.