[Histonet] copper stain for liver biopsies

[John Kiernan]

The reagent is p-dimethylaminobenzylidenerhodanine
(pDMBR). Don't buy rhodanine; it's a different 
compound and it won't work. Also don't confuse with
rhodamine and similarly named substances, which are
completely unrelated.

pDMBR        24 mg
100% ethanol  6 ml

Before using, filter this solution into 45 ml of
0.065M sodium acetate (= 1.6% anhydrous, or
2% trihydrate)

Put hydrated slides in the working solution
either overnight at 37C or 11 min at 80C.

Wash X6 in distilled water. Counterstain nuclei
lightly with haemalum. Wash. Aqueous mountant.
Cu-containing deposits brownish red.

Sometimes it's necessary to release "masked"
copper before doing the method. Before doing
a histochemical method of this kind, read up 
about its mechanism, limitations and relations 
to other methods:

Pearse's Histochemistry 4th ed Vol 2 (the
2nd or 3rd ed also OK). 

C. Chrukian's "Manual of the Special Stains
Laboratory" 1997 or later edition.

Irons et al 1977 Arch Path Lab Med 101,298-301
(This paper compares different methods for Cu.)
-- 
-------------------------------
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
_______________________________
"Vickroy, Jim" wrote:
> 
> We are looking for a procedure for staining for copper.  In the past we
> have used an aldehyde fuchsin stain but our pathologist would like to
> use a rhodanine stain.  Does anybody have a good procedure for staining
> copper and any suggestions where to get a kit or reagents?
> 
> Jim Vickroy
> 
> Memorial Medical Stain
> 
> Springfield, Illinois
> _______________________________________________