THE INFLUENCE OF INFLAMMATION-MEDIATE OSTEOPENIA (IMO) ON THE STRUCTURE OF RABBIT BONE AND SKIN COLLAGEN FIBRILS

The influence of Inflammation Mediated Osteopenia (IMO) on rabbit skin and bone (trabecular and cortical) collagen fibrils was studied by el ectron microscopy, Severe abnormalities in collagen fibril structure w ere detected, at the ultrastructural level, in skin and bone specimens from IMO rabbits, In treated animals the arrangement of fibrils is an archic. The overall collagen fibril architecture is disturbed compared to normal, IMO collagen fibrils' mean diameter values were significan tly larger than those from controls, in all examined tissues. However, the banding patterns of fibrils were normal in all cases. Computer an alysis shows no differences in charged amino acid composition between IMO and untreated samples. Our results show a correlation between the effects induced by osteopenia on skin and bone collagen.