VITAL STAINING OF THE CONNECTIVE TISSUES

Abstract

When trypan blue is injected intraven. in rather small amts. it is bound almost at once by the intercellular connective tissue elements, collagen, reticulin and elastic fibers. This union precedes the fixation of the dye by the histio-cytes and is responsible for the early macroscopic blue color. Possibly the histiocytes are cells specialized to segregate substances that become diffusely bound to the intercellular connective tissue matrix.