Intracellular penetration of ruthenium red in embryonic nervous tissue

Electron microscopic investigations, using ruthenium red revealed that dye is usually observed in immature neuronal cells in autonomic ganglia of rat embryos and fetuses. Ruthenium red does not penetrate undamaged neurons in mature ganglia. Ruthenium red positive material covers neuronal cell plasmalemma even in early primordial phases of autonomic ganglia. Plasmalemma of growth zones does not react with ruthenium red. Intracellular penetration of immature neurons by ruthenium red, according to expectation, depends on damage to cell membrane due to the fixation procedure, especially in the growth zones.