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Electron microscopical demonstration of sulphated mucopolysaccharides in mouse tracheal cartilage with a diaminobenzidine-osmium tetroxide technique

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A diaminobenzidine-osmium tetroxide method for the demonstration of sulphated mucopolysaccharides has been tested at the electron microscopical level. The reaction (which involves treatment with diaminobenzidine in an acidic solution followed by oxidation with osmium tetroxide) has been carried out directly on ultra-thin sections of mouse tracheal cartilage embedded in water-soluble glycolmethacrylate. Sulphated mucopolysaccharides in the cartilage matrix were localized as a heavy, electron-dense precipitate. The method can be applied directly to sections, overcoming in this way the difficulties of penetration, and it seems to possess a higher specificity for sulphated mucopolysaccharides than that displayed by other techniques proposed previously for the ultrastructural demonstration of acid mucopolysaccharides.

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Monga, G., Canese, M.G. & Bussolati, G. Electron microscopical demonstration of sulphated mucopolysaccharides in mouse tracheal cartilage with a diaminobenzidine-osmium tetroxide technique. Histochem J 4, 205–211 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01890992

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