A HISTOCHEMICAL SPECIFIC THIONINE-SO2 REAGENT AND ITS USE IN A BI-COLOR METHOD FOR DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID AND PERIODIC ACID SCHIFF POSITIVE SUBSTANCES

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Abstract
A histochemical specific blue aldehyde reagent containing thionine and SO2, in a medium of tertiary butyl alcohol and water is described. The reagent, as far as visual observation goes, reacts in a constant high intensity with aldehyde locations over a period of at least five weeks. In artificial light however the shade of the dye-aldehyde combinations shows some variation. This unexplained phenomenon may point to a complicated reaction mechanism or may be related to the metachromatic qualities of the dyes. For this reason the use of the reagent in quantitation experiments still requires further study though it is more constant in shade and reaches a higher intensity in shorter times than previously described mixtures of thionine and SO2. When Feulgen hydrolyzed sections are stained with this reagent followed by the periodic acid Schiff procedure an image results of blue nuclei combined with the well known red extranuclear PAS pattern. With the exception of glycogen the PAS positive polysaccharides withstand the preceding Feulgen hydrolysis. By visual observation no indication of significant overlapping of colors was found.