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REACTIONS OF THE GUINEA PIG'S SKIN AND ADIPOSE TISSUE TO EXPERIMENTAL FROSTBITE
Author(s) -
Laiho K.,
Hirvonen J.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica section a pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0365-4184
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1971.tb03317.x
Subject(s) - adipose tissue , frostbite , blisters , pathology , chemistry , fibrin , lactate dehydrogenase , staining , anatomy , medicine , immunology , surgery , biochemistry , enzyme
Vital and postmortal frostbites of various ages in the skin and adipose tissue of guinea pigs were examined by histochemical methods. The microscopic lesions were slight, both in the skin and in the adipose tissue. Nuclear changes were seen in vital as well as postmortal frostbites. Four hours after the freezing, NAD‐diaphorase and lactate dehydrogenase showed decreasing reactions in the epithelial cells and fibroblasts, and later in fat cells of the frozen area, and the reaction had almost entirely disappeared after 24 hours. In two to four hours after freezing, diffuse extracellular staining of naphthyl amidase and esterase appeared in the frozen tissue. Small fat cell necroses were noticed after a reaction time of four hours. Exudation was observed in the sections within one to two hours after vital freezing. No morphological signs of damage to vascular walls were seen. In blood vessels, closely packed red cells filled the lumen, but real thromboses with fibrin and platelets were rare. The inflammatory reaction started in the skin within one hour and in the adipose tissue, within 30 minutes. Mononuclear macrophages appeared within four hours in the skin and within two hours in the adipose tissue. In frostbites of 16 hours' age epidermal blisters filled with fibrinous exudate and inflammatory cells were seen. The blisters were surrounded by a semicircular demarcation zone of polymorphonuclears and macrophages developing within 8–16 hours. In the adipose tissue new fibroblasts appeared within four hours after freezing. In the skin, epithelial proliferation was seen after 36 hours around the blisters. The fastest and most reliable vital sign was the post‐freezing inflammation.