Indium (III)-hematoxylin as a staining and contrasting agent for light and electron microscopy.
A deeply violet indium (III)-hematoxylin complex is formed when indium trichloride is added to an aqueous solution of oxidized hematoxylin. Treatment of glutaraldehyde fixed and Araldite embedded sections of rat seminiferous tubules with indium-hematoxylin revealed a definite staining and contrasting pattern. Semithin sections showed chromatin and nucleoli in violet-blue. Under the electron microscope, chromatin, nucleoli, ribosomes, synaptonemal complexes, chromatoid bodies, membranous components, and microtubules from sperm tails presented high electron opacity, while the acrosome and basement membrane appeared with a lower contrast. This performed indium-hematoxylin complex, which shows an absorption peak at lambda = 560 nm with shoulders at about lambda = 440 and 400 nm, could be valuable as a new staining and electron contrasting agent.
Gómez
A
A
Seción de Histopatología, Instituto Nacional de Toxicología, Madrid, Spain.
Llorente
A R
AR
Mosquera
R M
RM
del Castillo
P
P
Stockert
J C
JC
D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005976:Glutaral; D006416:Hematoxylin; D007204:Indium; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000648:ultrastructure
D007204:Indium; D005976:Glutaral; D006416:Hematoxylin