Analysis of thrombi generated during perfusion of blood from normal controls or an AF patient under high shear rate conditions.
Experimental conditions were as described in the Figure 4 legend, except that AF blood was also perfused. Top images (original magnifications, × 400) are horizontal views, obtained at a height of 15 μm from the collagen surface, of thrombi generated after 7-minute perfusion of blood from a healthy control or from a patient with AF under a high shear rate (1500 s−1); bottom images are the corresponding longitudinal views, synthesized using imaging analysis software of the CLSM system based on overall horizontal slices at the identical positions with 1-μm intervals. The VWF- or fibrinogen-associated volume within each normal or AF thrombus displayed in the upper panels was also indicated. In the healthy control, fibrinogen is distributed at the inner or core areas of thrombi, whereas VWF is distributed predominantly in the outer areas. In contrast, only VWF appears in the AF thrombi, which appear flatter than control thrombi.
