Summary
In the present study, the staining characteristics of the Gallocyanin chromalum technique devised by Husain and Watts are compared with the Feulgen reaction. Liver imprints, blood smears, and cervical smears were fixed in ethanol and stained with either the Husain and Watts Gallocyanin chromalum reagent or the Feulgen-Schiff reagent. The slides were then post-treated with 70% ethanol-HCl pH 1.0, or with phosphotungstic acid for 0.5–30 min. The integrated optical density of cell nuclei was measured with a VIDAS image analyzer. In the material stained with the Husain and Watts procedure, some Gallocyanin chromalum was removed from the nuclei in the early phase (5 min) of all the post-treatment steps, followed by a plateau phase where the integrated optical density remained constant for 30 min. In this phase, the nuclear absorbance was highly reproducible and of the same size regardless of the post-treatment. Both the Husain and Watts procedure and the Feulgen-reaction gave quantitative staining of DNA. The Gallocyanin chromalum stain after Husain and Watts is a quick staining procedure for quantitative evaluation of DNA in cytological material. Proper rinsing of the slides is necessary for a good reproducibility of results.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Becher, S. (1921)Untersuchungen über die Echtfärbung der Zellkerne mit künstlichen Beizenfarbstoffen und die Theorie des histologischen Farbprozesses mit gelösten Lacken. Berlin: Gebi. Bornträger.
Berube, G. R., Powers, M. M. &Kerkay, J. (1966) The gallocyanin-chrome alum stain; influence of methods of preparation on its activity and separation of active staining compound.Stain Technol. 41, 73–81.
Brown, A. &Scholtz, C. L. (1979) The quantitative histochemistry of ribonucleic acid using gallocyanin.Stain Technol. 54, 89–92.
Diefenbach, H. &Sandritter, W. (1954) Die quantitative Bindung von Gallocyaninchromalaun an Desoxyribonukleinsäure.Acta Histochem. 1, 55–9.
Eason, P. J. &Tucker, T. H. (1979) The preparation of cervical scrape material for automated cytology using gallocyanin chrome-alum stain.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 27, 25–31.
Einarson, L. (1932) A method for progressive selective staining of Nissl and nuclear substance in nerve cells.Amer. J. Pathol. 8, 295–307.
Einarson, L. (1951) On the theory of gallocyanin chromalum staining and its application for quantitative estimation of basophilia. A selective stain of exquisite progressivity.Acta Pathol. Microbiol. Scand. 28, 82–102.
Hiddemann, W., Schumann, J., Andreeff, M., Barlogie, B., Herman, C. J., Leif, R. C., Mayall, B. H., Murphy, R. F. &Sandberg, A. A. (1984) Convention on Nomenclature for DNA Cytometry.Cytometry 5, 445–6.
Horobin, R. W. &Murgatroyd, L. B. (1968) The composition and properties of gallocyanin chrome alum stains.Histochem. J. 1, 36–54.
Husain, O. A. N., Page-Roberts, B. A. &Millet, J. A. (1978) A sample preparation for automated cervical cancer screening.Acta Cytol 22, 15–21.
Husain, O. A. N. &Watts, K. C. (1984) Rapid demonstration of nucleic acids using “oxidised” gallocyanin and chromic potassium sulphate: methods and applications.J. Clin. Pathol. 37, 99–101.
Jobst, K. &Sandritter, W. (1964) Über den quantitativen histochemischen Nachweis von basischen Kernproteinen mit Gallocyaninchromalaun.Histochemie 4, 277–85.
Kiefer, C. (1970) Recent developments in gallocyaninchrome alum staining. InIntroduction to Quantitative Cytochemistry (edited byWied, G. L. &Bahr, G. F.), pp. 199–208. New York, London: Academic Press.
Marshall, P. N. &Horobin, R. W. (1972) The chemical nature of the gallocyanin-chrome alum staining complex.Stain Technol. 47, 155–61.
Pakkenberg, H. (1962) Gallocyanin-chrome alum staining: a quantitative evaluation.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 10, 367.
Ploem, J. S., Van Driel-Kulker, A. M. J., Goyarts-Veldstra, L., Ploem-Zaaijer, J. J., Verwoerd, N. P. &Van Der Zwan, M. (1986) Image analysis combined with quantitative cytochemistry.Histochemistry 84, 549–55.
Sandritter, W. (1952/53) Eine quantitative färberische histochemische Bestimmungsmethode der Nuklein-säuren im Gewebe.Z. Wiss. Mikrosk 61, 30–7.
Sandritter, W. (1958) Advantages and disadvantages of the gallocyanin chrome alum procedure in exfoliative cytology.Acta Cytol. 2, 324–5.
Sandritter, W., Kiefer, G. &Rick, W. (1963) Über die Stöchiometrie von Gallocyaninchromalaun mit Desoxyribonu-kleinsäuren.Histochemie 3, 315–40.
Schulte, E., Wittekind, D. &Kretschmer, V. (1988) Victoria blue B — a nuclear stain for cytology. A cytophotometric study.Histochemistry 88, 427–33.
Schulte, E. &Wittekind, D. (1989) Standardization of the Feulgen reaction. Staining characteristics of pure fuchsin dyes: cytophotometric investigation.Histochemistry 91, 321–31.
Terner, J. Y. &Clark, G. (1960a) Gallocyanin-chrome alum: I. Technique and specificity.Stain Technol. 35, 167–77.
Terner, J. Y. &Clark, G. (1960b) Gallocyanin-chrome alum. II. Histochemistry and specificity.Stain Technol. 35, 305–11.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schulte, E.K.W., Lyon, H. & Prento, P. Gallocyanin chromalum as a nuclear stain in cytology. I. A cytophotometric comparison of the Husain-Watts Gallocyanin chromalum staining protocol with the Feulgen procedure. Histochem J 23, 241–245 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01462247
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01462247