SPAM-LOW: [Histonet] Re: Stain to differentiate Hemoglobin from Hemosiderin?

[Patsy Ruegg]

I agree with Samurai, Prussian Blue will only stain iron, it is very
specific and will not stain the other components listed.  

I have used it to verify aluminum staining reaction in bone, sometimes it is
iron and not really aluminum, but the aluminum reaction I used would stain
aluminum and iron, the Prussian blue reaction would not stain aluminum, only
iron, so we had to do the two together to verify that the positive al
staining was really AL and not iron deposited in the bone, this happens to
renal patients on dialysis when they cannot metabolize out the AL it
deposits at the surface of the bone and can prevent formation of new bone,
and there are some diseases where iron is deposited in the bone the same way
AL is.

Happy New Year!

Patsy 

Patsy Ruegg, HT(ASCP)QIHC
IHCtech
12635 Montview Blvd. Ste.215
Aurora, CO 80045
720-859-4060
fax 720-859-4110
www.ihctech.net 
www.ihcrg.org


-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Robert
Richmond
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 3:26 PM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: SPAM-LOW: [Histonet] Re: Stain to differentiate Hemoglobin from
Hemosiderin?

Jerry Ricks, Research Scientist, University of Washington,Department
of Pathology asks:

>>I've seen Prussian blue as a stain for hemosiderin but that would also
stain hemoglobin.<<

The Perls prussian blue reaction occurs with hemosiderin ("stainable
iron") but not with hemoglobin, hematin, formalin pigment, malarial
pigment, or melanin.

It isn't a stain, but a reaction between ferric iron and ferrocyanide
ion that produces a dense blue precipitate.

The Stainsfile page doesn't really answer your questions, and I'd
suggest looking it up in some of the standard textbooks.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN

_______________________________________________
Histonet mailing list
Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet