[Quantitative polarization microscopy demonstration of collagen type I and type III in histologic paraffin sections]

The industrial dye Solophenyl Red 3 BL (Ciba-Geigy) dissolved in a saturated aquaeous solution of picric acid has proved suitable for differentiating between collagen types I and III in histological sections. When examined under polarization microscopy, type I fibers are radiant orange while type III fibers are green. Using 5 micron paraffin sections, an optimal staining procedure was determined: sections were first stained with Resorcin Fuchsin for elastic fibers and with Celestin Blue/Mayer's Hematoxylin for nuclear structures. The staining was then completed with 0.1 g Solophenyl Red/100 ml saturated aqueous solution of picric acid for 60 min at a pH value of 1.25. It was shown that the dye stained collagen selectively. With the aid of a photomultiplier, the spectral distribution of a series of lung sections adequately stained according to the optimized procedure was carried out using a monochromator and an interference filter, respectively. Both methods yielded identical peaks at 590 nm for the orange colored light of collagen type I and 490 nm for the green light of collagen type III. Application of appropriate filters permitted the intensity of the orange and green light at 590 nm and 490 nm to be measured. Long postmortem intervals did not affect the measured values. Quantitative inferences on the ratio of collagen I to collagen III could then be deduced from the ratio of the intensity of orange to green light. This index I/III is often applied in the diagnosis of discrete fibrotic changes in various organs.