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First published online March 8, 2005
Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 881-889 (2005)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2005
doi: 10.1242/jeb.01478

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Patterns of blood flow during the postprandial response in ball pythons, Python regius

J. Matthias Starck^* and Christian Wimmer

Department of Biology II, University of Munich (LMU), Großhaderner Strasse 2, D-82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany

View larger version (61K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Vascular anatomy of ball python. (A–C) Right is cranial, left is caudal, top is ventral, and bottom is dorsal; (D,E) cross-sectional ultrasonographs, ventral is top of images. (A) Schematic drawing of major arteries (adopted from Hafferl, 1933). (B) Situs dissection of the aorta with branches of the mesenteric arteries. The gall bladder had been removed, the broken line indicating its original position. (C) Doppler-ultrasonographic anatomy of the aorta and first mesenteric artery. Color coding indicates direction and velocity of the blood stream. (D) Doppler-ultrasonographic anatomy of the liver (cross-section) and pulse waved (PW)-Doppler measurements from the liver portal vein (blue). Two small lung-arteries (red) run outside the liver. (E) PW-Doppler from the liver vein (blue). Liver vein and portal vein are opposite each other, blood flow is in the same direction. Portal vein and liver vein are interconnected by numerous sinusoids.

View larger version (14K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Mass-specific rate of oxygen consumption O2 of ball pythons over a period of 120 days and 4 feedings. The vertical lines at days 2, 30, 65 and 93 indicate feeding. Values are means ± S.D. of 6 snakes.

View larger version (14K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Changes of the thickness of the mucosa epithelium of ball python as measured with grey level ultrasonography over a period of 120 days and 4 feedings. The vertical lines at days 2, 30, 65 and 93 indicate feeding. Values are means ± S.D. of 6 snakes.

View larger version (16K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. Changes of the diameter of the liver of ball python (N=6) as measured with grey level ultrasonography over a period of 120 days and 4 feedings. The vertical lines at days 2, 30, 65 and 93 indicate feeding. Values are means ± S.D. of 6 snakes.

View larger version (44K): [in a new window]   Fig. 5. Changes of blood flow volume of ball python (N=6) in (A) the mesenteric artery, (B) the liver portal vein and (C) the liver vein. Values are means ± S.D. of 6 snakes.

View larger version (17K): [in a new window]   Fig. 6. Nonlinear regression of thickness of mucosal epithelium and blood flow volume.

View larger version (16K): [in a new window]   Fig. 7. Nonlinear regression of thickness of liver cross sectional diameter and blood flow volume.

View larger version (127K): [in a new window]   Fig. 8. Histology of the mucosal epithelium and liver of ball python. (A) The mucosal epithelium of fasting snakes is a pseudostratified epithelium in which nuclei of enterocytes are arranged in several layers. (B) 24 hafter feeding the enterocytes are loaded with lipid droplets and the epithelium has changed into a single layered epithelium. Note the prominent brush border of the enterocytes. (C) Liver parenchyma of fasting snakes. Hepatocytes are relatively small, and only a few vesicles can be found within them. (D) Liver parenchyme 24 h after feeding. The hepatocytes are loaded with lipid droplets. Scale bars, 50 µm.