Elastic Fibers-Corium

The attributes of elastic fibers (elastin fibers) are different from those of collagen or reticular fibers. One of these differences rests with their affinities to stain. Elastic fibers can be specifically stained using elastin-specific dyes, such as resorcin-fuchsin, aldehyde-fuchsin, or  orcein. Elastic fibers are heavily branched and form irregular, of tendense fiber networks or fenestrated membranes, due to webbed extensions at their nodal points, reminiscent of the webbed feet of waterfowl. The fibers show diameters between 0.5 μm and 5 μm. This wide range covers thin fibers and very thick ones, such as the fibers of the elastic neck band.  Elastic fibers in vivo are slightly yellow (yellow fibers). Tissue elasticity de-pends to a large degree on the number of elastic fibers and their arrangement. Elastic fibers are particularly abundant in the connective tissue of the lung, in elastic cartilage, in the skin, in organ capsules and in the walls of vessels.  This figure shows a dense elastic fiber network in the stratum reticulare of the corium. Cellular elements are not stained.

Stain: orcein; magnification: × 300

Elastic Fibers-Corium

Electron micrographs show elastic fiber material also in the form of spot-like,  weakly osmiophilic patches of different sizes. However, with suitable contrasting procedures, elastic fibers can also be rendered heavily blackened.  Elastic fibers do not show the cross-striation pattern that is characteristic of collagen f ibers. Two elements can be distinguishe d, an amorphous center of even density, which contains elastin, and a small outer zone (edge) with about 10 nm thick microfilaments and 15–20 nm thick microfibrils (fibrillar component).  Cross-sections and tangential sections through elastic f ibers from the corium of human skin with accumulations of osmiophilic material near the outer borders. The dimensions of the elastic f ibers differ.

Electron microscopy; magnification: × 28 600

References

Kuehnel, W.(2003). Color Atlas of Cytology, Histology, and Microscopic Anatomy. 4^th edition . Institute of Anatomy Universitätzu Luebeck Luebeck, Germany . Thieme Stuttgart · New York .