{"id":3162,"date":"2026-06-05T04:07:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T04:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ijmhr.org\/IntJAnatRes\/?page_id=3162"},"modified":"2026-06-05T04:07:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T04:07:21","slug":"ijar-2026-128","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ijmhr.org\/IntJAnatRes\/ijar-2026-128","title":{"rendered":"IJAR.2026.128"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/i> DOWNLOAD PDF<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/i> Table of Contents<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Type of Article:<\/strong>  Original Research<\/h3>\n

Volume 14; Issue 2 (June<\/strong> 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Page No.:<\/strong> 9511-9523<\/h3>\n

DOI: <\/strong>https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.16965\/ijar.2026.128<\/h3>\n

Age-Related Deterioration of Elastic Fibres in the Human Trachea and Main Bronchi: A Quantitative Histomorphometric Study<\/h3>\n

Doni R Praveen Kumar *1<\/sup>, Arasada Archana 2<\/sup>, T. Neeraja 3<\/sup>, K. Lakshmi Kumari 4<\/sup>, Parvathavarthine 5<\/sup>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

*1<\/sup> Assistant professor, Department of Anatomy,  Government Medical College, Paderu, ASR Dist, 531024. ORCiD: <\/strong>0000-0002-2567-2204<\/p>\n

2<\/sup> Assistant professor, Department of Anatomy,  Government Medical College, Paderu, ASR Dist, 531024. ORCiD: <\/strong>0009-0004-9765-8542<\/p>\n

3<\/sup> Associate professor, Department of Anatomy,  Government Medical College, Paderu, ASR Dist, 531024 ORCiD: <\/strong>0009-0007-6565-7387<\/p>\n

4<\/sup> Professor and Head, Department of Anatomy,  Government Medical College, Paderu, ASR Dist, 531024 ORCiD: <\/strong>0009-0001-7064-4931<\/p>\n

5<\/sup> Professor and Head,Department of Anatomy, PSP Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Tambaram – Kanchipuram Main Road, Oragadam, Panruti, Sriperumbudur Taluk, Kancheepurum Dist, Tamilnadu , 631604. ORCiD: <\/strong>0009-0002-5065-3566<\/p>\n

Corresponding Author: <\/strong> Dr. Doni R Praveen Kumar, Assistant professor, Department of Anatomy,  Government Medical College, Paderu, ASR Dist, 531024, Andhra Pradesh, India. E-Mail:<\/strong> donipraveen66@gmail.com<\/p>\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n

Background:<\/strong> Elastic fibres confer recoil and patency to the trachea and main bronchi, but systematic quantitative evidence for normal airway ageing is limited.<\/p>\n

Objective:<\/strong> To quantify age-related changes in elastic fibre architecture of the human trachea and main bronchi.<\/p>\n

Methods:<\/strong> In a cross-sectional cadaveric study (September 2025\u2013January 2026), full-thickness tracheal and main bronchial segments were sampled from 41 adults (21\u201393 years) and stratified into four age groups (18\u201339, 40\u201359, 60\u201379, \u226580 years). Verhoeff\u2013Van Gieson staining was used for elastin visualization. From four regions (tracheal anterior and posterior walls; right and left main bronchi), 775 quality-controlled fields (20\u00d7) underwent morphometry for elastic area fraction, fibre density, fragmentation index, and fibre thickness; observers were blinded to age. Non-parametric group comparisons and Spearman correlations assessed age effects.<\/p>\n

Results:<\/strong> Elastic area fraction declined progressively with age in all regions (all p<0.001), with reductions of ~29\u201341% from the youngest to oldest groups. Fibre density decreased by ~29\u201332% (all p<0.001). Fragmentation increased more than three-fold across regions (all p<0.001) and showed very strong positive correlations with age (r=0.893\u20130.947). Elastic area fraction correlated strongly and negatively with age (r=\u22120.785 to \u22120.850). Multivariable regression confirmed age as the dominant predictor, while sex effects were not significant. The posterior tracheal wall consistently retained higher elastic area fraction than the anterior wall (overall p<0.001).<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong> Normal ageing is associated with substantial loss and fragmentation of airway elastic fibres, supporting observed declines in expiratory flow and cough effectiveness in healthy elders.<\/p>\n

Keywords:<\/strong> Elastic fibres, Trachea, Main bronchi, Ageing, Verhoeff\u2013Van Gieson, Morphometry.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t

\n \t Cite this article:<\/strong><\/span> Doni R Praveen Kumar, Arasada Archana, T. Neeraja, K. Lakshmi Kumari, Parvathavarthine. Age-Related Deterioration of Elastic Fibres in the Human Trachea and Main Bronchi: A Quantitative Histomorphometric Study. Int J Anat Res 2026;14(2):9511-9523. DOI: <\/strong>10.16965\/ijar.2026.128  \n <\/div>\t\n\t\t\n\n\n

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Type of Article:  Original Research Volume 14; Issue 2 (June 2026) Page No.: 9511-9523 DOI: https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.16965\/ijar.2026.128 Age-Related Deterioration of Elastic Fibres in the Human Trachea and Main Bronchi: A Quantitative Histomorphometric Study Doni R Praveen Kumar *1, Arasada Archana 2, T. Neeraja 3, K. Lakshmi Kumari 4, Parvathavarthine 5. *1 Assistant professor, Department of Anatomy,  Government Medical
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