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Structural hallmarks of stroke thrombi
RBC-poor/platelet-rich (Figure 1C). Based on these clear and distinct differences, RBC-rich/fibrin-poor areas will be referred to as RBC-rich (R), whereas the term platelet-rich (P) will be used to indicate the RBC-poor/fibrin- rich/platelet-rich areas. Blue MSB staining, indicative for collagen, was not observed.
Relative contribution of red blood cell-rich and platelet-rich regions
To assess the relative contribution of each type of thrombus material, we quantified the total amount of RBC-rich and platelet-rich areas for all thrombi (Figure 2). The amount of RBC-rich and platelet-rich areas varied
AB
C
D
Figure 3. Red blood cell (RBC)-rich areas are composed of densely packed RBC in a fibrin network. Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) staining (A) and Martius Scarlet Blue (MSB) staining (B) show the abundance of RBC with little or no nucleated cells (black arrows), appearing red in H&E staining and yellow in MSB staining. Fibrin is stained red in MSB staining. (A and B, right panels) Magnification of the area indicated in the left panel. Occasional presence of nucleated cells in RBC-rich areas (blue on H&E) is observed. (C and D) Immunofluorescent staining was performed to specifically visualize fibrin(ogen) (green) and RBC (autofluorescence, red). RBC are found within a network of fibrin(ogen). Scale bars are: (A and B, left panels) 100 μm; (A and B, right panels) 25 μm; (C and D) 10 μm.
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