WIRE MYOGRAPH SYSTEM - GENERAL

• Wire Myograph Systems are used to measure force in small rings of muscle tissue. The smallest possible diameter is about 60 microns.

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• The product range covers systems from an electrically single channel system with optical window for combined electrophysiology and imaging for elucidating basic molecular physiological research questions , to 4-channel productive high throughput system for the more quantitatively driven pharmacological questions and determinations of tissue respsonses.   

       

• Applications are not limited to but include vascular resistance arteries, larger arteries, veins, lymph vessel, tracheal smooth muscle rings and bladder rings. 

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• DMT Wire Myographs have an extensive set of custom add-ons and options to match your specific need.​

The Wire Myograph allows examination of small vessels (internal diameter 60 μm - 10 mm) in terms of morphology and responsiveness to hormones and other agonists. 

The small vessels are mounted as ring preparations by threading them onto two stainless steel or tungsten wires and securing the wires to two supports.

One support is then attached to a micrometer, allowing control of vessel circumference. The other support is attached to a force transducer for measurement of tension development. The whole preparation is kept in a chamber with physiological salt solution at 37°C, bubbled with oxygen. Vessels maintained in Wire Myographs are viable for several hours. ​

Following mounting and equilibration, the passive length-tension relationships of the vessels are determined; a normalization procedure. During the actual experiments, the circumference of the vessels are kept constant and vessels are examined under isometric conditions. Compounds are added directly to the chamber and vessel tension is monitored. Furthermore, it is possible to compare vessels from patients or test groups with those of control, not only in terms of vessel reactivity to various compounds, but also in terms of morphology. 
       
The following lists are a few of the established areas of investigation for Wire Myograph systems. Many more investigation possibilities for vascular and other smooth muscle may be added through the imagination of researchers such as yourself.

BASIC TISSUE PROPERTIES

• Vascular smooth muscle function
• Vascular endothelium function 
• Length-tension relationships (also motorized) 
• Wall tension & morphometric measurements 
• Assessment of pharmacological reactivity

TISSUES USED 

• Small and large arteries
• Veins
• Lymph vessels 
• Lung and tracheal smooth muscle 
• Urogenital, corpus cavernosum, bladder 

VASOACTIVE MECHANISMS

• Endothelium: role of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (NO), prostaglandins and endothelium-derived hyperpo-larizing factor (EDHF) 
• Smooth muscle: role of calcium and potassium and other ion channels 
• Perivascular and intramural nerves: role of endogenously released transmitters 

PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACOTHERAPY

• Quantify the effect of treatment with contractile and relaxing agents 
• Receptor studies, localization and characterization of receptors 
• Affinity & efficacy studies of agonists & antagonists 
• Drug studies efficiency & efficacy, drug discovery & safety pharmacology           
         

PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES& PATHOLOGY 

• Hypertension
• Atherosclerosis 
• Diabetes
• Ageing 
• Ischemic heart disease & heart failure 
• Tumors & angiogenesis 
• Gastrointestinal & urogenital disease Pregnancy, preeclampsia 
• Exercise physiology, muscular degenerative diseases 

FURTHER POSSIBILITIES 

• Electrophysiological experiments 
• Fluorescence measurements of intracellular ions and other substances

ALL WIRE MYOGRAPH SYSTEMS

​Single Wire Myograph System - 320A
​​​​Ideal for studying a single vessel with a diameter of 60 μm - 3 mm. The vessel is mounted as a ring preparation by threading it over two parallel stainless steel wires and securing the wires to two supports or "jaws".​
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Dual Wire Myograph System - 420A & 520A   
​​​Simultaneous testing of two vessels with diameters of 60 μm - 3 mm, independently.

Multi Wire Myograph System - 620M​​​
This 4-channel multi myograph system is a highly sophisticated yet robust research instrument. It is an easy-to-use system for in vitro studies of small and large blood vessels, trachea or gut mounted as larger ring preparations (up to 10 mm). 
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Confocal Wire Myograph System 360CW          ​​
Specially designed to provide very close optical access to the mounted artery or tissue segment, thereby allowing high resolution images of fluorescent dyes or markers by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM).

RESEARCH VIDEO 
 
"Mesenteric Artery Contraction and Relaxation Studies Using Automated Wire Myography" (520A)
 
(subscription TO JoVE is required)
         
Lakeesha E. Bridges, Cicely L. Williams, Mildred A. Pointer, Emmanuel M. Awumey
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