Quantitative electron microscope observations of the collagen fibrils in rat‐tail tendon

Abstract An electron microscope study of collagen fibrils from fixed tail tendons of rats has revealed that from some time shortly after birth until maturity, the fibril diameters have a bimodal distribution. The “two” types of fibril are indistinguishable in both transverse and longitudinal section. Unfixed specimens of eight‐week‐old‐tail tendon showed a similar bimodal distribution of diameters though the positions of the peak values compared to fixed specimens of an eight‐week‐old‐tail tendon were shifted upwards by about 30%. It has also been shown quantitatively that the polar collagen fibrils are directed randomly “up” and “down” with respect to their neighbors. Whilst it has been suggested by others that anastomosis is a feature of collagen structure, the results presented here do not support this hypothesis. Fibrillar units ∼ 140 Å in diameter have been observed and the possibilities that these are elastic fibers or the breakdown products of collagen fibrils have been considered.