Oxytalan fibres in the rat pineal gland.

The present study shows the existence of oxytalan fibres in the connective tissue spaces of the rat pineal gland. The identification of these fibres with light microscopy is based on their ability to stain with aldehyde-fuchsin and orcein after oxidation with peracetic acid. Using the electron microscope, oxytalan fibres appear as bundles of fibrils of 12-15 nm without transverse striation. Oxytalan fibres increase with age, being most abundant in the old rat.