The Nature of the Collagen in Hepatic Fibrosis in Advanced Murine Schistosomiasis

Livers from CF 1 mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni, 50 cercariae each, were examined 8 weeks postinfection. The collagen content of the livers was increased about 18-fold over that for normal control animals. Quantitation of the collagen types in pepsin-solubilized collagen showed a change in the ratio of Type I to Type III from 2:1 in normal mice to 1:1 in the fibrotic animals. The change in ratio resulted from a very large accumulation of Type III collagen and, accordingly, may provide an important model for study of the possible reversibility of fibrotic lesion.