[The fixation of intracellular carbohydrates in the chondrocytes (author's transl)].

The chondrocytes of the epiphysis contain several polysaccharides, not only glycogen, but also proteoglycans (MPS). Therefore the fixation of chondrocytes is difficult. In regard of fixation we must consider, that macromolecules of proteoglycans have a considerable water content (the effective hydrodynamic volume), furthermore the MPS are easily soluble. We examined the preservation of chondrocytes after application of 44 several fixation fluids with the aid of phasecontrast, the electronmicroscope and after staining. The fixation with familiar methods is unsufficient. Consequently we used a double or successive fixation with two different mixtures, once for fixation the proteins (formalin-alcohol-mercuric chloride-acetic acid), another for polysaccharides (LILLIE's alcoholic lead nitrate formalin alternative basic lead acetate). The degree of fixation, the precipitability of the various polysaccharides is quite different and may be characteristic like their staining or solubility feature.