Abstract
Summary
The effects of thermal changes on the organization of connective tissue of rat tail tendon was studied by polarization microscopy. Loss of birefringence in the temperature range 48–60° occurs most rapidly in young animals (1–3.5 months). After 3.5 months the trend continues but is less significant. The thermal effect could be due to rupture of low energy bonds in the collagen or collagen-ground substance aggregate. The method may be valuable for the study of changes of state of connective tissues in physiologic and pathologic conditions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.