THE DIFFERENCE IN PERMEABILITY OF CARTILAGE TO CATIONIC AND ANIONIC DYES

Abstract

It has been shown that fresh cartilage cubes are readily permeable to all of thirteen cationic dyes and one neutral dye tried. They are impermeable to thirteen of fourteen anionic dyes tried. This selective permeability of fresh cartilage to dyes can be altered by treatment which destroys the fixed negative charge of the cartilage. After this treatment, the cartilage cubes are readily permeable to anionic dyes. It is suggested that this membrane selectivity of cartilage may have physiological meaning.