Comparison of the solophenyl-red polarization method and the immunohistochemical analysis for collagen type III

In the present study, we have compared the staining pattern of the
Solophenyl-Red 3 BL-method for the visualization of collagen type
III with the immunohistochemical staining in serial sections from 7
skin wounds (wound age 3 days up to 4 weeks) to elucidate the
specifity of the histochemical staining method. Large amounts of
collagen type III were clearly detectable in the investigated
wounds using the immunohistochemical technique. In the sections
stained with Solophenyl-Red, however, only 3 out of 7 skin lesions
showed a significant positive red staining at the wound margin or
in the granulation tissue, while the adjacent normal connective
tissue revealed a typical intensive staining. Using polarization
microscopy no characteristic bright green fibrils, as reported for
collagen type 111, could be seen in the wound areas without
positive Solophenyl-Red staining. Since the localization of
collagen type III detected by immunohistochemistry and the presumed
distribution of this collagen type by the Solophenyl-Red method was
not identical, the histochemical polarization method has to be
regarded as non-specific for visualization of this collagen type.