The territorial matrix is the tissue surrounding

chondrocytes Chondrocytes (, ) are the only cells found in healthy cartilage. They produce and maintain the cartilaginous matrix, which consists mainly of collagen and proteoglycans. Although the word '' chondroblast'' is commonly used to describe an immatu ...

(cells which produce cartilage) in

cartilage Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. Semi-transparent and non-porous, it is usually covered by a tough and fibrous membrane called perichondrium. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints ...

. Chondrocytes are inactive cartilage cells, so they don't make cartilage components. The territorial matrix is

basophilic Basophilic is a technical term used by pathologists. It describes the appearance of cells, tissues and cellular structures as seen through the microscope after a histological section has been stained with a basic dye. The most common such dye ...

(attracts basic compounds and dyes due to its anionic/acidic nature), because there is a higher concentration of proteoglycans, so it will color darker when it's colored and viewed under a microscope. In other words, it stains

metachromatic {{inline citations needed, date=November 2024 Metachromasia (var. metachromasy) is a characteristic change in the color of staining carried out in biological tissues, exhibited by certain dyes when they bind to particular substances present in th ...

ally (dyes change color upon binding) due to the presence of

proteoglycans Proteoglycans are proteins that are heavily glycosylation, glycosylated. The basic proteoglycan unit consists of a "core protein" with one or more covalent bond, covalently attached glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chain(s). The point of attachment is a ...

(compound molecules composed of proteins and sugars).Wheater's Functional Histology, 5th ed. Young, Lowe, Stevens and Heath.

References

Skeletal system Tissues (biology) {{cell-biology-stub