A selective histochemical method for the quantitative estimation of elastic fibers by computerized morphometric analysis. Effect of colchicin treatment

A morphometric technique is reported that uses a new selective staining of the elastic system fibers in skin biopsy specimens to facilitate the quantitative evaluation of the volume fraction occupied by these elastic fibers in the tissue. The study of elastic fibers in the dermis of 30 patients, bef...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnalytical and quantitative cytology and histology Vol. 8; no. 4; p. 321
Main Authors Godeau, G, Gonnord, G, Jolivet, O, Schoevaert, D, Pompidou, A, Lagrue, G, Robert, A M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.12.1986
Subjects
Colchicine - therapeutic use
Collagen
Diabetes Mellitus - pathology
Elastic Tissue - anatomy & histology
Elastic Tissue - pathology
Female
Histocytochemistry - methods
Humans
Hypercholesterolemia - pathology
Hypertension - pathology
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Male
Skin - anatomy & histology
Skin - pathology
Skin Diseases - pathology
Staining and Labeling
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Summary:A morphometric technique is reported that uses a new selective staining of the elastic system fibers in skin biopsy specimens to facilitate the quantitative evaluation of the volume fraction occupied by these elastic fibers in the tissue. The study of elastic fibers in the dermis of 30 patients, before and after six months of treatment with Colchicin, was carried out with a Quantimet 720 system. Preelastic (oxytalan and elaunin) fibers and mature elastic fibers were quantitated separately. Compared to the average volume fraction (surface occupied by the elastic fibers) before treatment with Colchicin (1.449 +/- 0.64%), the mean values after treatment were significantly increased (2.076 +/- 0.61%). The same results were found for the preelastic fibers: 0.807 +/- 0.51% before treatment and 1.025 +/- 0.54% after treatment. These results demonstrate the advantages of our monochromatic staining method for automatic quantitation of elastic fibers as well as the possibilities of the quantitative study of the elastic fibers in human dermis. This methodology should be applicable to other inherited or acquired diseases affecting skin elastic fibers as well as to other tissues containing elastic fibers.
ISSN:0884-6812