The structures present in the rabbit myocardial interstitium have been defined and quantified. Stereological methods were used for the quantification. The extracellular space contains abundant ground substance (23%) distributed in a homogeneous mat throughout the space and within the T tubules. The remainder of the space contains 59% blood vessels, 6% "empty" space, 4.0% collagen, and 7.0% connective tissue cells. The arrangement of the interstitium in relation to the myocardial cells and the capillaries has been described. In addition, the extracellular space was measured using extracellular markers: 14C sucrose (neutrally charged), 35SO4 (negatively charged), and 140La (positively charged). The La+++ space differed markedly from the other two (P << 0.001), indicating extensive binding of La+++ to polyanionic extracellular structures. Cetylpyridinium chloride, a cationic detergent specific for polysaccharides, caused precipitation of the ground substance and marked decrease in the La+++ space. This study indicates the considerable structural complexity of the interstitium. The effects of an abundant negatively charged protein-polysaccharide within the interstitium has been discussed in terms of cation exchange in arterially perfused tissue.
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1 March 1974
Article|
March 01 1974
THE MYOCARDIAL INTERSTITIUM: ITS STRUCTURE AND ITS ROLE IN IONIC EXCHANGE
J. S. Frank,
J. S. Frank
From the Departments of Medicine and Physiology and the Los Angeles County Heart Association Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of California at Los Angeles, Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, California 90024
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G. A. Langer
G. A. Langer
From the Departments of Medicine and Physiology and the Los Angeles County Heart Association Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of California at Los Angeles, Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, California 90024
Search for other works by this author on:
J. S. Frank
From the Departments of Medicine and Physiology and the Los Angeles County Heart Association Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of California at Los Angeles, Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, California 90024
G. A. Langer
From the Departments of Medicine and Physiology and the Los Angeles County Heart Association Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of California at Los Angeles, Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, California 90024
Received:
August 09 1973
Revision Received:
November 08 1973
Online ISSN: 1540-8140
Print ISSN: 0021-9525
Copyright © 1974 by The Rockefeller University Press
1974
J Cell Biol (1974) 60 (3): 586–601.
Article history
Received:
August 09 1973
Revision Received:
November 08 1973
Citation
J. S. Frank, G. A. Langer; THE MYOCARDIAL INTERSTITIUM: ITS STRUCTURE AND ITS ROLE IN IONIC EXCHANGE . J Cell Biol 1 March 1974; 60 (3): 586–601. doi: https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.60.3.586
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