An alkali digestion method to expose connective tissue fibers: a scanning electron microscopy study of rat lung

Alkali digestion has been used to remove cellular elements of tissues thus exposing the underlying connective tissue framework. We studied the action of this severe alkali treatment on the delicate tissues of rat lung. The lungs of male Sprague-Dawley rats were perfused with saline to remove blood and then inflated by fixation through the airways at 20 cm pressure. Sections of lung 2 x 5 x 5 mm were immersed in 2.5 M NaOH at 25 degrees C for 6 h, 16 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h. The alkali was changed daily. Tissues were washed to neutral with water (24 h), treated with tannic acid (1%, 3h), post-fixed with osmic acid (1%, 3 h) and processed for SEM. At 6 h, epithelial cells started to peel off the alveolar surface. At 16 h the digestion process was well advanced. At 48 h the cells were completely removed revealing the lattice network of connective tissue fibers within the alveolar surface. The method allows the complete removal of cellular elements of the lung while retaining the very fine 3D structure of the connective tissue matrix.