[Histonet] staining for manganese

[Rene J Buesa]

Gerard:
Many minerals can be "seen" in tissues as an unspecific "black" particles when reacting with reagents like ammonium sulfide in the Timm's procedure for copper in Wilson's disease cases. This method requires treating the sections with 0.1N HCl after the reaction to eliminate iron and zinc sulfides that may have been formed.
In the same way asbestos can either be detected by ultra filtration of the macerated lung tissue or using the Pearl's iron reaction that will stain the iron contents of the proteinic  "asbestos bodies" formed around the non-reactive asbestos fibers.
I do not know of any specific reaction for manganese in tissues, although I think that the Timm's method without the acid treatment may reveal an "unspecific" reaction. If that occurs my advise will be to chemically determine the presence of manganese in positively reacting gills against non reactive gills from other animals as controls.
In any event my advise is to avoid the use of benzidine, or to use it with extreme caution because it is a very well known carcinogen, as DAB is also.
Sorry I cannot be more helpful.
René J. 

--- On Mon, 1/26/09, Gerard Spoelstra <G.Spoelstra <@t> murdoch.edu.au> wrote:

From: Gerard Spoelstra <G.Spoelstra <@t> murdoch.edu.au>
Subject: [Histonet] staining for manganese
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Date: Monday, January 26, 2009, 4:58 AM

Hi everybody,

I have some fish specimens which have been exposed to toxic levels of
manganese. The researcher is hoping to see manganese localised on the gill.
Lillie mentions the use of benzidine to stain for manganese. I will try DAB, but
my searching on the net has drawn a blank.

Gerard Spoelstra
veterinary histology
Murdoch University
Western Australia 
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