[Histonet] Tol Blue

[John Kiernan]

Mast cells are stained red-purple by toluidine blue. They are defined as cells with granules that stain metachromatically with cationic dyes. You should seek to enhance, not avoid this effect. 

Metachromasia means staining in a colour different from that of the dye. Toluidine blue is a blue cationic dye, and it imparts its blue (orthochromatic) colour to anionic materials such as nucleic acids. Some sites in tissues have higher concentrations of anions, and this makes the dye cations pile up in layers. Stacking of dye cations changes their absorption of light, and toluidine blue looks red instead of blue. Mast cells contain heparin, which attracts stacks of small dye cations like those of toluidine blue. 

John Kiernan
London, Canada
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On 24/03/15, Kimberly Marshall  <Kimberly <@t> animalreferencepathology.com> wrote:
> ?Hello my fellow Histo Techs. Have a question I just know someone out there can answer for me.
> 
> In canine tissue, we are having problems with the Tol Blue for mast cell. Am experiencing metachromasia, or the mast cells turning purple not blue. I have attempted to decrease time, or add time, but its not helping. My pathologist says he has had this issue before. So question is. Could it be the mast cell in a dog does not stain the same? Is there another stain that may work? Any help will be much appreciated.
> 
> 
> Thanks in Advance.
> 
> Kimberly Marshall H.T.(ASCP)
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> Kimberly Marshall H.T.(ASCP)
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