Stereological quantification of histological parameters in turpentine-induced hyperplasia of hamster cheek pouch epithelium

Abstract

Epithelial hyperplasia was induced by regular painting with 50 per cent v/v turpentine in liquid paraffin. Point and intersect counting were used to analyse representative microscope fields photographed on black and white reversal film and examined on a back projector at a × 900 magnification. Nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, nuclear and cellular packing density, nuclear and cell volume, epithelial thickness, epithelial volume, and volume to interface ratios of epithelium were estimated. Corrected numbers of nuclei and cells were derived using factors which made allowances for section thickness and nuclear size and assumed the nuclei to be approximately spherical. The results showed that both hypertrophy and hyperplasia occur in turpentine-treated hamster cheek pouch epithelium. At the histological level stereological techniques can be employed to detect quantitative similarities and differences between normal and pathological epithelium.