Staining of glycosaminoglycans of intervertebral disc tissue

Intervertebral discs of six species were stained with Alcian blue and PAS methods to identify glycosaminoglycans. The polyanions are most concentrated in 'ring-like' pericellular areas and in material lying between individual lamellae and bundles of collagen. A slight increase occurs early in life and towards the disc centre. The concentration of glycosaminoglycans cannot be correlated with species which are known to suffer from clinical disc disease, though there appears to be a higher concentration in the discs of the cat and dog than in other species studied.