Staining 4.1: Basics Of Staining Flashcards
What is a stain and why do we do it?
- Staining imparts color and changes the refractive index of the tissue
- allows you to see details in tissue because tissue is transparent otherwise
Staining
The visual labeling of some biological entities by attaching or depositing it in its vicinity, a marker of characteristic color or form
Stain
The marker used
Affinity
Attractive forces that bind dye to tissue
- can get differential dye absorption based on affinity for tissue (multi shade staining)
Acidic and basic
Acidic : Anionic - negatively charged component
Basic: cationic - positively charged component
Natural Dyes
- Carmine
- Indigo
- Brazilian
- Orcein
- Saffron
- Hematoxylin
**CIBOSH**
Carmine
- Source: cochineal bug (break down shell)
- color : red
- Synthetic available : No
- have very little affinity for tissue, usually add metal salt eg iron, aluminum
- carmine + aluminum = mucicarmine
- stains mucin in goblet cells
Indigo
- Source: indigo plant
- color : blue
- Synthetic available : yes
Brazilin
- Source: Bark - Brazilwood
- color : red
- Synthetic available : yes
Red nuclear stain
Orcein
- Source: lichens (fungi)
- color : brown
- Synthetic available : yes
- boiled to create Orcinol
- orcinol + air + ammonia = orcein
- brown connective tissue stain (stains elastin)
- can get synthetic form now
Saffron
- Source: stamen of flowers
- color : yellow
- Synthetic available : No
- stains connective tissue yellow
Hematoxylin
- Source: logwood bark
- color : purple/blue
- Synthetic available : No
- biological name: hematoxylum campechianum
- hematoxylum = bloodwood
Hematoxylin + air = hematein
Hematein + Metal salt = Biological Stain
Synthetic dyes (all other dyes not part of CIBOSH)
Benzene Ring (colorless) reacts to form —————-> Quinone Ring (colored) base of all synthetic dyes
Chromophores
- Confer color on dye
- To alter shade add more of the same type of chromophore
To change color, and a different type of chromophore - different color
C=C, C=O, C=S, C=N, N=N, N=O, NO2
Auxochromes
- Imparts affinity of dye for tissue by salt beads/electrostatic forces
- May alter shade
- # of groups and charge of groups determines if dye is anionic or cationic
Cationic: NH3+
Anionic: COO- , OH-, SO3-, Phenol (-), halogens (-), metal salts(-)