Luxol fast blue stain

[1] Luxol fast blue refers to one of a group of three chemically and histologically similar dyes.

[4] Luxol refers to the original trade name used first by DuPont, and later, the Rohm & Haas division of Dow Chemical.

[6][7][8] The first method of using a luxol fast blue was described by Klüver and Barrera in 1953.

[1] Researchers have since developed similar stain protocols using luxol fast blue ARN.

[9] LFB MBS is the bis[1,3-di(2-tolyl)guanidinium] salt of a copper phthalocyanine-disulfonic acid.

LFB ARN is better known as anazolene sodium, with the chemical formula

[13] Luxol fast blue is used primarily to stain the myelin sheaths of neurons.

[14] Luxol fast blues undergoes an acid-base reaction to bind to the bases of phospholipids; while the exact bases involved are unknown, previous research has shown strong affinities towards the phospholipids phosphotidyl choline, phosphotidyl ethanolamine, phosphotidyl serine, and sphingomyelin.

[15][16][17] Together, these phosphoglycerides make up 27.6% of the dry weight of isolated myelin.

[18] The various luxol fast blues are histologically similar, with only minor variations in affinity towards certain phospholipids.

[7][19][20] In the staining procedure, tissue sections are stained with a solution consisting of one of the luxol fast blues and ethanol (sometimes, glacial acetic acid is added).

A typical conventional LFB staining is performed as follows:[21][3][17] In the MCOLL protocol, the following steps are added after differentiation is stopped, and before the transfer to xylene and mounting:[22][17] In pure LFB stains, myelin fibers appear blue, with areas of the highest concentration of myelin appearing darker.

[23] After cresyl violet, LFB is most often combined with H&E stain (hematoxylin and eosin), which is abbreviated H-E-LFB, H&E-LFB.