Metachromasia and sulfate uptake in the polysaccharides of some organs of the snake Xenodon merremii (Wagler, 1824).

Using a combined cytophotometric-autoradiographic technique, the authors have detected in the snake Xenodon merremii an acid polysaccharidic complex in the serous acinar cells of upper labial salivary gland, the mucous cells of the excretory duct of Duvernoy's gland, the goblet cells of large intestine and intercellular matrix of tracheal cartilage. In a previous study, this same technique failed to demonstrate in this species the presence of mast cells, known to contain sulfated acid polysaccharides, suggesting that these cells do not occur in this animal species.