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Eastwood and Cole Congo Red for Amyloid

Eastwood and Cole Congo Red

for Amyloid

6
steps
7
materials

Materials

  • Mayer’s hemalum
  • Buffer pH 10
    MaterialAmount
    Glycine, 0.1M30mL
    Sodium chloride, 0.1M30mL
    Sodium hydroxide, 0.1M40mL
  • Congo red
    MaterialAmount
    Congo red0.5g
    Buffer pH 1050mL
    Ethanol, absolute50mL

    Combine the ethanol and buffer. Dissolve the congo red.

Tissue Sample

5µ paraffin sections of neutral buffered formalin fixed tissue are suitable.

Protocol

  1. Bring sections to water via xylene and ethanol.
  2. Stain nuclei with hemalum and blue.
  3. Place in congo red solution for 10 – 20 minutes.
  4. Rinse off the staining solution with 70% ethanol until clear.
  5. Dehydrate with ethanol.
  6. Clear with xylene and mount with a resinous medium.

Expected Results

  • Amyloid  –  Orange to red
  • Eosinophils and elastic  –  Orange to red
  • Nuclei  –  Blue

Notes

  • Amyloid displays apple green birefringence when viewed with crossed polarisers, one above and one below the section.

Safety Note

Prior to handling any chemical, consult the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for proper handling and safety precautions.

References

  1. Bancroft, J.D. and Stevens A. (1982)
    Theory and practice of histological techniques Ed. 2
    Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh & London, UK.