Electron Microscope Study on Astrocytes in the Human Retina Using Ruthenium Red

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Abstract
The normal human retina treated either with ordinary or ruthenium-red-containing fixatives was studied with light and electron microscopes. Counts of the frequency of astrocytes using the light microscope revealed that they were widely distributed along the inner retinal layer, excepting the ora serrata and foveal regions, and that more than half their number were concentrated in the central fundus region of the retina. By electron microscopy, the perinuclear region of the retinal astrocytes contained characteristically well-developed granular endoplasmic reticulum, free ribosomes and mitochondria, unlike those of the other nervous tissues. A second notable feature was the presence of the closely packed processes as well as their interconnected network. They may serve to reinforce the capillary network and to support the neural elements. No particular type of astrocyte associated with only the retinal capillary was found.

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