TY - JOUR
T1 - Comparative analysis of an improved thioflavin-S stain, Gallyas silver stain, and immunohistochemistry for neurofibrillary tangle demonstration on the same sections
AU - Sun, Anyang
AU - Nguyen, Xuan V.
AU - Bing, Guoying
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - An improved thioflavin-S stain, Gallyas silver stain, and two immunostainings were quantitatively compared for demonstration of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) on the same sections. Sections of hippocampal formation from seven cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) were immunofluorescently stained with a commercially available polyclonal NFT antibody or a PHF-1 monoclonal antibody, followed by an improved thioflavin-S stain, and finally by Gallyas silver staining. The thioflavin-S method was improved by using a combination quenching method that removes background autofluorescence without remarkable tissue damage and by post-treatment with concentrated phosphate buffer, which minimizes photobleaching. PHF-1 or NFT immunostaining is much less sensitive than the improved thioflavin-S staining and Gallyas silver staining, particularly in the transentorhinal region. Moreover PHF-1 immunoreactivity varied greatly among AD individuals. Thioflavin-S staining and Gallyas silver staining show almost the same sensitivity in NFT demonstration, but only the former depends on the secondary protein structure of NFTs. This study suggests that the improved thioflavin-S staining is a simple, sensitive, and consistent method for demonstration of neurofibrillary pathology.
AB - An improved thioflavin-S stain, Gallyas silver stain, and two immunostainings were quantitatively compared for demonstration of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) on the same sections. Sections of hippocampal formation from seven cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) were immunofluorescently stained with a commercially available polyclonal NFT antibody or a PHF-1 monoclonal antibody, followed by an improved thioflavin-S stain, and finally by Gallyas silver staining. The thioflavin-S method was improved by using a combination quenching method that removes background autofluorescence without remarkable tissue damage and by post-treatment with concentrated phosphate buffer, which minimizes photobleaching. PHF-1 or NFT immunostaining is much less sensitive than the improved thioflavin-S staining and Gallyas silver staining, particularly in the transentorhinal region. Moreover PHF-1 immunoreactivity varied greatly among AD individuals. Thioflavin-S staining and Gallyas silver staining show almost the same sensitivity in NFT demonstration, but only the former depends on the secondary protein structure of NFTs. This study suggests that the improved thioflavin-S staining is a simple, sensitive, and consistent method for demonstration of neurofibrillary pathology.
KW - Alzheimer's disease
KW - Immunohistochemistry
KW - Neurofibrillary tangles
KW - Silver staining
KW - Thioflavin S
KW - Transentorhinal cortex
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U2 - 10.1177/002215540205000403
DO - 10.1177/002215540205000403
M3 - Article
C2 - 11897799
AN - SCOPUS:0036193799
SN - 0022-1554
VL - 50
SP - 463
EP - 472
JO - Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry
JF - Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry
IS - 4
ER -