Summary
Cytoplasmic staining of glial cells by Alcian blue in 0.40 M magnesium chloride can be demonstrated in sections of brain tissue fixed in formol-acetic acid and in Bouin's solution. Phosphate-buffered aldehyde fixatives, whether at neutral or low pH, fail to preserve stainable material.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Castejón, H. V.: Histochemical demonstration of acid glycosaminoglycans in the nerve cell cytoplasm of mouse central nervous system. Acta histochem. (Jena) 35, 161–172 (1970)
Cavanagh, J. B., Lewis, P. D.: Perfusion-fixation, colchicine, and mitotic activity in the adult rat brain. J. Anat. (Lond.) 104, 341–350 (1969)
Henry, R. J.: Clinical chemistry. Principles and technics, p. 163–166. New York: Harper and Row 1964
Lampert, I., Lewis, P. D.: Demonstration of acidic polyanions in certain glial cells during postnatal rat brain development. Brain Res. 73, 356–361 (1974)
Margolis, R. U., Margolis, R. K.: Distribution and metabolism of mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins in neuronal perikarya, astrocytes and oligodendroglia. Biochemistry 13, 2849–2852 (1974)
Scott, J. E.: Histochemistry of Alcian blue. III. The molecular biological basis of staining by Alcian blue 8 GX and analogous phthalocyanins. Histochemie 32, 191–212 (1972)
Scott, J. E., Dorling, J.: Differential staining of acid glycosaminoglycans (mucopolysaccharides) by Alcian blue in salt solutions. Histochemie 5, 221–233 (1965)
Scott, J. E., Dorling, J., Stockwell, R. A.: Reversal of protein blocking of basophilia in salt solutions: implications in the localization of polyanions using alcian blue. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 16, 383–386 (1968)
Singh, N. M., Chandrasekaran, V., Cherian, R., Bachhawat, B. K.: Isolation and characterization of glycosaminoglycans in brain of different species. J. Neurochem. 16, 1157–1162 (1969)
Solcia, E., Sampietro, R.: New methods for staining secretory granules and 5-hydroxytryptamine in the thyroid C cells. In: Calcitonin: proceedings of the symposium on thyrocalcitonin and the C cells, London, 17–20 July 1967, ed. S. Taylor, p. 127–132. London: Heinemann 1968
Solcia, E., Capella, C., Sampietro, R., Vassalo, G.: The distribution of human C cells and their relationship to osteopetrosis and medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. In: Calcitonin; proceedings of the second international symposium, London, 21–24 July 1969, eds. S. Taylor, G. Foster, p. 220–226. London: Heinemann 1970
Zeman, W., Innes, J. R. M.: Craigie's neuroanatomy of the rat, p. 216–217. New York: Academic Press 1963
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lai, M., Lampert, I.A. & Lewis, P.D. The influence of fixation on staining of glycosaminoglycans in glial cells. Histochemistry 41, 275–279 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00497691
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00497691