[Histonet] Alcian Blue problem

[John Kiernan]

It also stains ceramic sinks pretty well! The dye cations
are supposed to stick to the silicate anions of the glass
or pot. The slide adhesive paper is:

Archimbaud E, Islam A, Preisler HD (1986) Alcian blue 
method for attaching glycol methacrylate sections to 
glass slides. Stain Technology 61: 121-123.

To obtain a positively charged surface this way you'd 
have to stain the slides immediately before using, and
wash in something a bit acidic. Anything as basic as
water removes the pendant cationic groups from bound
alcian blue, leaving behind uncharged and completely
insoluble copper phthalocyanine. I don't have that
issue of Stain Technology to hand, so cannot check up
on the method.
-- 
-------------------------------
John A. Kiernan
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
The University of Western Ontario
London,   Canada   N6A 5C1
   kiernan[AT]uwo.ca
   http://publish.uwo.ca/~jkiernan/
   http://instruct.uwo.ca/anatomy/530/index.htm
_______________________________
Geoff McAuliffe wrote:
> 
>     Many years ago I noticed that Alcian Blue stained/coated the whole
> slide to a slight extent. I seem to remember a short paper in Stain
> Technology, the former name of Biotechnique and Histochemistry, that
> described Alcian Blue as a coating for slides that helped attach sections.
> 
> Geoff
> 
> Tom McNemar wrote:
> 
> >We have started to see a hazy/cloudiness to our alcian blue PAS slides.  We
> >don't see this on any other slide/stain.  We use the same slides, reagents,
> >and procedure that we have always used.  The stain works fine and the haze
> >is on the entire slide, not just the tissue.  We routinely use the
> >Fisherbrand red control slides and have tried other slides and still have
> >the same problem.  I use the Poly Scientific reagents (alcian blue ph 2.5)
> >and have switched them all out for new  reagents but still have the haze.
> >We have switched out, altered, and tried everything I can think of.  I am
> >totally baffled.  Hope you folks have some ideas.
> >
> >Tom Mc Nemar HT(ASCP)
> >Histology Supervisor
> >Licking Memorial Hospital
> >Newark, Ohio 43055
> >
> >
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> --
> --
> **********************************************
> Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D.
> Neuroscience and Cell Biology
> Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
> 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854
> voice: (732)-235-4583; fax: -4029
> mcauliff <@t> umdnj.edu
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