Staining Reactions of some Anionic Disazo Dyes and Histochemical Properties of the Red Impurity in Trypan Blue

Some staining properties of 10 anionic disazo dyes are clarified by comparison with previous chromatographic analysis. Trypan blue contains both blue and red components and the purified blue fraction displays no color shifts in tissue sections. Evans blue, Niagara blue 2B, Niagara sky blue, Niagara sky blue 4B and Niagara sky blue 6B generally resemble trypan blue. Congo red is a metachromatic dye and the only known example among anionic dyes of established purity whose color shows shifts in tissue sections and also in solutions with certain basic compounds. Other red dyes (Congo corinth, trypan red and vital red) are not metachromatic. The red dye impurity of trypan blue selectively stains nuclei which are pycnotic, degenerating or undergoing no further division. This reaction is apparently related to basic protein content. Other reactions of the red fraction of trypan blue (mammalian erythrocytes, blood plasma) are not fully explained on this basis.