Aspects on composition and function of the interstitial tissue have been given. The
glycosaminoglycans of the interstitium have at physiological pH a net negative charge and
are osmotically active. They restrict free diffussion through the interstitium. The ground
substance phase can be further subdivided into a colloid-rich subphase and a colloid-poor
subphasc. The latter seems to constitute the true tissue fluid phase of the interstitium. The
functional importance of the interstitium on exchange processes between the vascular and …