Holzer's Stain Protocol An appropriate term for glial fibers is 'nerve glue', because they provide the internal support of the central nervous system. There are four types of glial cells: astrocytes, oligosendroglia,microglia, and ependymal cells. The glia fibers are stained with crystal violet which are resistant to the aniline-chloroform differentiating solution.
Staining for Myelin Sheath Protocol Protocol for myelin sheath. Luxol Fast Blue is the alcohol soluble counterpart of the water soluble Alcian Blue. Staining is due to lipoproteins, and the mechanism is one of an acid-base reaction with salt formation; the base of the lipoprotein replaces the base of the dye.
Staining of Nerve Fibers Protocol Protargol-S (silver proteinate) is used with the addition of copper metal. The copper replaces the silver in the connective tissue, allowing a greater differentiation between the nerve fibers and the connective tissue. The silver is reduced with hydroquinone to the visible metallic form. The sections are toned with gold chloride, the gold chloride is reduced with oxalic acid, increasing the deposit of metallic gold on the sections.
