Novel application of aniline blue. Fluorescent staining of glycogen and some protein structures.

The present study shows that aniline blue can be used as a fluorescent stain for glycogen. The dye is also helpful in tracing pathological and autolytic changes in lysosomes, mitochondria, erythrocytes and nuclei, and it can also be used for demonstrating bacteria in tissue sections and smears. The techniques used are simple, rapid and inexpensive. Spectrophotometric studies on aniline blue solutions have shown that aniline blue fluorescence was enhanced by the addition of certain proteins, or of glycogen to the dye solution. In case of albumen which has the maximum effect, enhancement is dependent upon the albumen-dye ratio. The mechanism of staining is mainly due to self quenching, but there is also an evidence of the presence of hydrophobic reaction.