Abstract
The metachromatic phenomenon in the gingival connective tissue was studied. Clinically normal gingiva showed slight metachromasia. However, in inflammation the chromotropic material increased. The change in colour was greatest in the ground substance of the connective tissue in close proximity to the alveolar bone and in the areas infiltrated by inflammatory cells. Since connective tissue metachromasia may indicate the presence of acid mucopolysaccharides, and because of their increase in inflammatory conditions an effort was made to explain this phenomenon. Incubation of tissue sections with proteolytic enzymes showed a definite enhancement in metachromatic staining. Since proteolysis takes part in the degradation phenomena of the ground substance, this lends support to previous studies of the distribution of a proteolytic enzyme, aminopeptidase, in the gingiva under normal and inflammatory conditions.
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