Luxol Fast Blue

Luxol Fast Blue

For the Staining of the Myelin Sheath

Author: Kelsey Goldman, HTL (ASCP)

Last Update: 6 January 2025

Copyright: 2025, HistologyOutlines.com

Cite this Page! -> Goldman, Kelsey. “Luxol Fast Blue.” HistologyOutlines.Com, 8 Aug 2024. Accessed (today).

Purpose

  • Luxol fast blue is used for the detection of the myelin sheath (Carson, 2001)
  • The absence of Luxol Fast Blue staining in an expected area would indicate damage to the axon of the nerve (Carson, 2001)
  • Luxol Fast Blue an be combined with the cresyl violet stain to demonstrate both myelin and neurons. (Tubbs, 2015)

Control Tissues

  • Cerebral Cortex, Peripheral Nerve Tissue, Spinal Cord

Staining Pattern

  • Myelin- Blue

    Other- No Color

Biochemistry Theory

  • Luxol Fast Blue is often combined with Echt Violet (Nissl substance) or Homles silver nitrate ( nerve fibers)
  • The nerve is insulated in the myelin sheath, which is composed of lipoproteins. Luxol Fast Blue is a cationic (basic) dye that binds to the negatively charged components of the lipoproteins in the myelin sheath through ionic interactions, enabling visualization of myelinated regions (Tubbs, 2015)

Troubleshooting

  • Tissues to be stained with Luxol Fast Blue should have been fixed in 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin and processed with a standard FFPE protocol (Carson, 2001)
  • A thick cut section is recommended (10-15 um) (Carson, 2001)
  • Luxol Fast Blue is alcohol soluble, use caution when dehydrating (Carson, 2001)

Additional References

  • Carson, F. L. (2001). Histotechnology: a self-instructional text (2. ed., [Reprint]). ASCP Press.
  • Tubbs, R. S. (Ed.). (2015). Nerves and nerve injuries. Elsevier/AP, Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier.