With hydrochloric acid-alcoholic solution of alcian green, without any pretreatment both the sulfated and the carboxylated mucopolysaccharides (acid glycosaminoglycans) can be demonstrated. After an indirect sulfation (periodic acid-bisulfite pretreatment), the glycogen and the mucoproteins, and after an oxydation with acidified potassium permanganate, the high cystine-containing proteins can also be stained. As a counterstain, a picric acid-Sirius red solution has proved good.