title: Lipid staining for the electron microscope: a new method.
abstract: Tissues fixed in osmium tetroxide or in combined osmium and glutaraldehyde (Hinde), embedded in Spurr's medium, cut at 0-5-I mum and mounted in Farrants' gum medium containing ethyl gallate, show good staining of lipid-contaning structures (droplets of triglyceride, membranes, mitochondria, etc.) in the light microscope. Such preparations show moderate contrast in the electron microscope without further staining. But a specific increase in contrast in lipid-rich structures is obtained by partition of the tissues, before embedding, in 70% ethanol saturated with the monoterpene hydrocarbon myrcene, with or without the addition of 0-I % ethyl gallate, followed by osmium tetroxide. This method will visualize both saturated and unsaturated lipids, including waxes.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005976:Glutaral; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008870:Microtubules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009992:Osmium; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000032:analysis; D012239:Rhodnius / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000032:analysis; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D014225:Triatominae / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014885:Waxes / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D013109:Sphingomyelins; D013229:Stearic Acids; D014885:Waxes; D009992:Osmium; D002784:Cholesterol; D005976:Glutaral