While color should not be the sole criterion of tissue identification, the
color imparted by a trichrome stain is often very helpful in identifying
tissues in an unfamiliar organ or animal.  Smooth muscle and tendon often
have similar microscopic morphology. That is why trichrome stains were
developed.  Personally, I prefer Gabe's trichrome (Kiernan's HISTOLOGICAL
AND HISTOCHEMICAL METHODS, 3rd ed., pp. 158-159) to Masson's.

-----Original Message-----
From: Geoff McAuliffe [mailto:mcauliff@umdnj.edu] 
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 11:14 AM
To: Brian Hatcher
Cc: mhanna@histosearch.com; HISTONET@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Masson Trichrome stain


Hi Brian:

    Using colors to identify tissues is not the way to go. Muscle 
(skeletal, cardiac or smooth) and collagen have very different 
morphologies, that alone should be the criteria for identification. A 
good hematoxylin and eosin or even toluidine blue should tell you what 
you need to know.

Geoff

Brian Hatcher wrote:

> I am attempting to use Masson's trichrome stain on some rat bone
> marrow stem cells cultured on fibrous contstructs.  Following staining 
> with the acid fuchsin, a large amount of tissue growing in between the 
> fibers is staining red.  Following the treatment with aniline blue, 
> however, this tissue is no longer visible.  In some areas it appears 
> as though it has torn away from the fibers where it was previously 
> spread between (some arease of floating tissue are visible).  My 
> initial thoughts were that perhaps this tissue was muscle, although 
> this was a bit supprising as these cells should be differentiating 
> into osteoblasts in the presence of these fibers.  I had also read 
> somewhere that the collagen would stain red with acid fuchsin, 
> however, subsequent staining with aniline blue should result in 
> collagen appearing blue.  The only problem is I am seeing neither blue 
> nor red cells in these specific areas following aniline blue 
> staining.  Any suggestions???
> Thanks
> Brian
> -- 
> Brian Hatcher
> Graduate Research Assistant
> Department of Biomedical Engineering
> University of Florida
> PO Box 116400
> Gainesville, FL 32611-6400
> Ph: 352-392-6656
> Fax: 352-392-3771
> email: briany@ufl.edu
>
--
**********************************************
Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D.
Neuroscience and Cell Biology
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854
voice: (732)-235-4583; fax: -4029 
mcauliff@umdnj.edu
**********************************************




_______________________________________________
Histonet mailing list
Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
           
                       
                
The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential, and/or privileged material. No confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any errant transmission. If you receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and all copies of it from your system and notify the sender.  E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses.
Barry University - Miami Shores, FL (http://www.barry.edu) 

_______________________________________________
Histonet mailing list
Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet