Histological Staining Kits

Merck’s microscopy range includes ready-to-use histological staining kits for frequently used staining methods such as PAS, Elastica van Gieson and Masson-Goldner Trichrome. Staining kits are also available for special staining techniques like Warthin-Starry, GMS stain or Congo red stain.

All of our staining kits are especially user friendly as they prevent direct contact with dry dyes. This makes laboratory procedures both faster and safer. Thanks to their high quality and excellent batch-to-batch consistency, our staining kits deliver reliable, reproducible results. Hence, they also support laboratory accreditations and audits. All staining kits are CE certified IVD products, and are subject to comprehensive quality and process documentation.

Masson-Goldner Kit

The Masson-Goldner method combines three different staining solutions to enable the selective visualization of muscle fibers, collagen fibers, fibrin and erythrocytes. The technique has the advantage that it can be used on formalin-fixed material. With the Masson-Goldner staining kit, nuclei are stained dark brown to black, cytoplasm and muscles appear brick red, connective tissue and acidic mucus substances appear green, and erythrocytes are stained bright orange.

Reticulin Silver Plating Kit acc. to Gordon & Sweets

Reticular fibers are components of membrane structures, capillaries and peripheral nerve fibers, as well as organs such as the liver, kidneys and hematopoietic organs. The fibers consist of thin bundles of fine fibrils of type III collagen, which interact readily with silver salts. The Reticulin silver plating kit is used to visualize reticular fibers which cannot be detected with H&E staining. The silver stain provides great contrast and sharpness against the background.

Congo Red

The Congo red staining kit is used for the detection of amyloid, which is relevant for several illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, myopathies and angiopathies. Congo red staining is based on the formation of hydrogen bridge bonds with the carbohydrate component of the substrate. The method is highly sensitive, and displays amyloid deposits as bright green under polarized light, while other material, such as collagen, do not show this effect.

Methenamine Silver Plating acc. to Gomori (GMS)

The Methenamine silver plating kit acc. to Gomori can be used on basal membranes, bacteria and fungi. In this method, aldehydes resulting from oxidation of 1,2-glycols with periodic acid solution are visualized with a methenamine borate silver nitrate solution. The aldehyde groups reduce the silver ions to metallic silver and target structures are turned black, while everything else is stained green with Light Green SF solution. The color of the silver deposits can be further intensified using Gold Chloride solution, which also prevents non-specific staining of the background.