Stains are used in biological and medical disciplines to highlight cell structures and organelles, cells, or tissues for viewing, usually with an instrument such as a microscope. In vitro staining is the process of dyeing living tissues (compare with in vivo staining). In vitro means, literally "in glass", indicating that the process is one carried out in laboratory glassware.
By causing certain cells or structures to take on contrasting color(s), their form (morphology) or position within a cell or tissue can be readily established and studied.
External link
Speaking of Fixation: Part 1 (http://www.microscopy-uk.net/mag/artdec00/fixation2.html) by M. Halit Umar
Stains and dyes are frequently used in biology and medicine to highlight structures in biological tissues for viewing, often with the aid of different microscopes.
Stains may be used to define and examine bulk tissues (highlighting, for example, muscle fibers or connective tissue), cell populations (classifying different blood cells, for instance), or organelles within individual cells.
Gram staining uses crystal violet to staincell walls, iodine as a mordant, and a fuchsin or safranin counterstain to mark all bacteria.
This staining protocol is used frequently in histology to examine thin sections of tissue.
Although it will not stain healthy cells, it can be used to identify cells in the late stages of apoptosis; such cells have much more permeable membranes.
Acid fuchsin is anionic and is frequently used to stain cytoplasmic structures and fibres made predominantly from basic proteins, such as collagen, smooth muscle, or mitochondria.
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