[Histonet] Re: Brazilliant

[Robert Richmond]

Ada Feldman at Anatech, thanks for setting us all straight about the
availability of brazilin and Brazilliant. I think it's very important
that this dye get into histologic use, given the uncertain future of
nuclear fast red.

Apparently Anatech has found a source for brazilin other than the
endangered brazilwood (Caesalpinia echinata). According to the
Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilin

several other species of Caesalpinia contain brazilin. Ada, would it
be appropriate to ask what Anatech's source is?

That Wikipedia article doesn't mention the histologic use of brazilin.
much less contain a photomicrograph. Could somebody fix that? - I
haven't yet learned how to edit Wikipedia.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN
*******************************************************************
On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:11 PM, Ada Feldman
<adafeldman <@t> anatechltdusa.com> wrote:
> For general information:
> Brazilliant is the product name for Anatech's red nuclear stain solution. It
> is available and will continue to be available for the foreseeable future.
> The dye brazilin used to prepare Brazilliant also will continue to be
> available from Anatech.
>
>
> Ada T. Feldman
> ANATECH LTD.
> 1020 Harts Lake Road
> Battle Creek, MI 49037
> Phone: 800.262.8324
> Fax: 269.964.8084
> email: adafeldman <@t> anatechltdusa.com
> website: www.anatechltdusa.com
>
>
> On Feb 26, 2009, at 11:42 PM, Robert Richmond wrote:
>
> Sarah Jones at Dako responds - and Sarah, please forgive me for
> quoting you onto Histonet, but this seems to me to be a public
> message:
>
> Brazilliant will soon not be available for some time.  The government in the
> state of Pernambuco in Brazil has declared a 10 year moratorium on the
> felling of the Pernambuco trees from which this dye is made.  This took
> place in September of 2007, if I remember correctly.  Violin bows are also
> made from this tree.  I was doing some work here at Dako trying to use it in
> place of Nuclear Fast Red.  But when I learned of this moratorium (at the
> Biological Stain Commission Annual Meeting in June of 2008), I stopped
> working on it.  I believe I sent you some of my photomicrographs taken at
> that time.  I never heard back from you, so I thought you lost interest.  I
> can send them to you again if you want me to.  Just let me know.
>
> And Allen Smith responded:
>
> I have used brazalum, made by substituting brazilin for hematoxylin in the
> recipe for Mayer's hemalum. It stains nuclei a slightly deeper red than
> nuclear fast red.  Colorfastness is excellent.  I have 40-year old slides
> stained with brazalum that still look as they did on the day I made them.
> Allen A. Smith, Ph.D.
> Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine
>
> **********************
> I think this clarifies the problem. I would hope that something could
> be worked out with the Brazilian government for the very small amount
> of brazil wood histologists require, but the Brazilian government has
> been difficult about issues like this - see a number of citations in
> Science over the last few years.
> Sarah, I was much impressed by your photomicrographs of stains with
> brazalum nuclear counterstaining, and I apologize for having failed to
> reply earlier.
> Bob Richmond
> Samurai Pathologist
> Knoxville TN