THE EFFECT OF LITHIUM TREATMENT ON COLLAGENOUS TISSUES - AN ELECTRON-MICROSCOPE STUDY

Structural alterations of mouse skin collagen fibrils brought about by treatment with lithium chloride at various doses, as studied by elect ron microscopy, are discussed. The effect of the duration of treatment on such fibrils is also investigated. An analysis of positive stainin g patterns from fibrils from mice treated with lithium is included. In addition, this review describes how computer analyses of electron-opt ical images from collagen fibrils can lead to information about the ch anges produced by lithium on the molecular architecture of the fibril. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.