Figure 3.

Semiquantitative evaluation of autoradiographic signals (silver grains) obtained with the procollagen α1(I) probe in CC cases (closed bars) and in normal mucosa (hatched bars). The histograms represent the average number of all specifically labeled cells (A) and of the strongly labeled cells (>30 grains/cells; B) per microscopic field (mf) in the subepithelial myofibroblast (sSEMF) and pericryptal myofibroblast (pcSEMF) layer and the remainder of the lamina propria (LP). A third panel (C) displays the evaluation of the average number of silver grains per labeled cell. In comparison to normal control mucosa, the number of strongly labeled cells (B) and the average number of grains per labeled cell (C) were significantly increased in the sSEMF sheet of CC biopsies, whereas the relative number of labeled cells did not differ significantly. The evaluation is based on sections of all cases of collagenous colitis (n = 12) and normal controls (n = 7) which had been carried out in parallel through the entire in situ hybridization and autoradiographic procedures.