Morphological Changes of the Tight Junction of Pulmonary Epithelium and Capillary Endothelium after Blast Injury in Rats

The morphological changes of the tight junction of the alveolar epithelium andthe capillary endothelium of the lungs after blast injury in rats were studied with freeze-etching elec-tron microscopic technique.The results were as follows:1.The number of the discontiuities,discontinuities per μm,irregularity,and

The morphological changes of the tight junction of the alveolar epithelium andthe capillary endothelium of the lungs after blast injury in rats were studied with freeze-etching elec-tron microscopic technique.The results were as follows:1.The number of the discontiuities,discontinuities per μm,irregularity,and free-ending ofstands were much greater in the injured groups than in the control.2.The number,density,and total length of strands,and the length of strands per square mi-crimeter were much higher in some of the injured animals than in the control.3.The width of the light junctions was smaller in the injured animals than in the control.The significance of these changes was discussed.