Fig. 3.

Representative photomicrographs of mucin gel as well as examples of liquid crystals, solid cholesterol crystals, sandy stones, and true gallstones as observed in fresh gallbladder bile of gonadectomized C57BL/6 male mice using polarizing light microscopy

(a) Non-birefringent amorphous mucin gel; (b) Aggregated non-birefringent liquid crystals; (c) Typically fused liquid crystals with Maltese-cross birefringence and focal conic textures; (d) Aggregated birefringent liquid crystals with circular surrounded textures; (e) Scattered or aggregated non-birefringent tubular crystals; (f) Tubular crystals fracturing at their ends to produce plate-like cholesterol monohydrate crystals with a notched corner; (g) Agglomerated cholesterol monohydrate crystals; (h) Disintegrable amorphous sandy stones surrounded by mucin gel; (i) Disintegrable aggregated sandy stones exhibiting individual ChM crystals projecting from the edges; (j) Gallstones exhibiting round contours and black centers from light scattering/absorption. All magnifications are 200×, except 3c, 3f, 3i, and 3j which are 500×, using polarizing light microscopy