Diameter distributions of collagenous tissues in relation to sex. A quantitative ultrastructural study.

A number of factors have been implicated in the regulation of collagen fibril diameter. Electron microscopy analysis was used to investigate the role of sex on fibril diameter. Female mouse skin collagen fibrils' mean diameter values were significantly smaller than those from the male, independent of age. In addition, the female rabbit collagen fibrils had a marked decrease in the mean diameter compared to male, in all the tissues examined (skin, liver, and bone). These data suggest that the collagen fibril diameter is related to sex.