Summary
A dual staining technique has been presented for the histochemical characterization of some sulfated mucopolysaccharides. It is a combined alcian blue (pH 1.0)-ruthenium red (pH 2.5) staining method which colors most sulfated mucopolysaccharides tested purple or purplish blue. A series of histochemical experiments using histological sections and casein films containing acidic polysaccharides of known chemical structure indicate that reactive sulfate and carboxyl groupings of polysaccharides are responsible, to an appreciable degree, for the alcianophilia and affinity towards ruthenium red of the substances respectively. A hypothesis is advanced as to the mechanism whereby ruthenium red binds anionic groupings of mucopolysaccharides.
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This investigation was supported by a Grant-in-Aid from the Japanese Ministry of Education (1968).
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Yamada, K. Dual staining of some sulfated mucopolysaccharides with alcian blue (pH 1.0) and ruthenium red (pH 2.5). Histochemie 23, 13–20 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00309485
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00309485