The periodic wave pattern in native tendon collagen: correlation of polarizing with scanning electron microscopy

Abstract

SUMMARY A definite correlation and continuity has been obtained between the observations of ultrastructure of collagen fibres teased from rat tail tendon, by two different techniques; (1) polarizing optical microscopy and (2) scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The stereographic micrographs of the fibres taken by SEM shows that the surface periodicity is of the planar form and is similar to the model proposed by Diamant et al . (1972) from polarizing microscopic observations.