Abstract
Triton X-100 is widely but not universally used in NADPH-diaphorase histochemical staining. We investigated its effect on the staining and examined nitroblue diformazan (NBF) production under the influence of Triton X-100. Exposure of opossum esophagus, intestine, and colon tissues to Triton X-100 before staining enhanced staining of nerve cells and fibers and suppressed staining of non-neural structures. Long exposures and high concentrations nearly abolished the staining of non-neural structures and decreased the staining of nerves. The use of an incubation medium containing Triton X-100 achieved the best staining of nerve cells and fibers. Addition of Triton X-100 to the incubation medium changed its color from yellow to purple; in the presence of tissues, this color change occurred much more quickly. Spectral analysis showed that Triton X-100 increases the rate of NBF formation in the presence of tissue supernatant. Triton X-100 increases it less in the absence of tissue supernatant. Therefore, Triton X-100 improves the histochemical staining, probably by catalyzing the activity of NADPH- diaphorase, by keeping the extracellular NBF in solution and thus suppressing the staining of non-neural structures, and by increasing the permeability of cell membranes.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1519-1524 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1994 |
Keywords
- Colon
- Enzyme histochemistry
- Esophagus
- Intestine
- NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry
- NBT
- Nitric oxide synthase
- Opossum
- Triton X-100
- β- NADPH
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anatomy
- Histology