Common Stains in Tissue Preservation

colors acid mucins, a type of protein, yellow and may be used to stain live cells

colors glycogen, or animal starch, red

stains proteins a brilliant blue, and is often used in gel electrophoresis

stains cell walls purple when combined with a mordant. This stain is used in Gram staining

a fluorescent nuclear stain that is excited by ultraviolet light, showing blue fluorescence when bound to DNA. DAPI can be used in living of fixed cells

a counterstain to haematoxylin, this stain colours red blood cells, cytoplasmic material, cell membranes, and extracellular structures pink or red.

this stain colours unhealthy cells in the final stages of apoptosis, or deliberate cell death, fluorescent red-orange.

this stain is used to stain collagen, smooth muscle, or mitochondria.

a nuclear stain that, with a mordant, stains nuclei blue-violet or brown.

two types of fluorescent stains, 33258 and 33342, these are used to stain DNA in living cells.

used as a starch indicator. When in solution, starch and iodine turn a dark blue color.

a blue-green counterstain to safranin in Gimenez staining for bacteria. This stain can also be used to stain spores.

stains animal cells to make nuclei more visible.

stains nuclei red and may be used on living cells.

stains nuclei blue and may be used on living cells. Nile blue is used for histological staining of biological preparations. It highlights the distinction between neutral lipids (triglycerides, cholesteryl esters, steroids) which are stained pink and acids (fatty acids, chromolipids, phospholipids) which are stained blue.

this stain is made by boiling Nile blue with sulfuric acid, which creates a mix of Nile red and Nile blue. The red accumulates in intracellular lipid globules, staining them red. This stain may be used on living cells.

used in optical microscopy to stain lipids black.

a protein-specific fluorescent stain used in fluorescence microscopy. Muntjac skin fibroblast labeled with rhodamine phalloidin

a nuclear stain used as a counterstain or to color collagen yellow.