Nile blue

It may also be used in conjunction with fluorescence microscopy to stain for the presence of polyhydroxybutyrate granules in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells.

[3] The PHB granules in the cells of Pseudomonas solanacearum can be visualized by Nile blue A staining.

The PHB granules in the stained smears are observed with an epifluorescence microscope under oil immersion, at a 1000 times magnification; under 450 nm excitation wavelength they show a strong orange fluorescence.

Derivatives of Nile blue are potential photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy of malignant tumors.

These dyes aggregate in the tumor cells, especially in the lipid membranes, and/or are sequestered and concentrated in subcellular organelles.

Nile blue hydrochloride in water.
Concentrations, left to right: 1000 ppm , 100 ppm, 10 ppm, 1 ppm, 100 ppb.
Nile blue in water.
Left to right: pH 0, pH 4, pH 7, pH 10, pH 14.
Nile blue in water (lower phase) and ethyl acetate (upper phase) in daylight.
Left to right: pH 0, pH 4, pH 7, pH 10, pH 14
Nile blue in water (lower phase) and ethyl acetate (upper phase) in UV light (366 nm).
Left to right: pH 0, pH 4, pH 7, pH 10, pH 14
Nile blue (free base) in daylight (top row) and UV light (366 nm, bottom row) in different solvents.
Left to right: 1. methanol , 2. ethanol , 3. methyl- tert -butylether , 4. cyclohexane , 5. n- hexane , 6. acetone , 7. tetrahydrofuran , 8. ethyl acetate , 9. dimethyl formamide , 10. acetonitrile , 11. toluene , 12. chloroform
Nile Blue perchlorate synthesis
Nile Blue perchlorate synthesis