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I would suggest to use a polarization filter on a wide-field microscope.
We've been using polarizing microscopy always for collagen staining, since
for analysis it's important to distinguish the different types of collagen
by color.  Confocal microscopy will be a very hard job (if not as good as
impossible?) to obtain nice images of these staining, but a good polarizing
filter will give you an amazing image of the Masson staining, which can be
than easily (and nicely) merged with a normal image of the ammonium-silver
staining.

Sven Terclavers
________________________________

From: Confocal Microscopy List on behalf of Renato Mortara
Sent: Mon 7/16/2007 11:35 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Histology stains and slides under confocal



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Hi there,

I have a collaborator that is a pathologist involved in tropical diseases
(Leishmaniasis and Chagas' disease) and he has several slides of tissues
labeled for collagen fibers (using the Masson stain that renders the fibers
blue/green) and reticular fibers (stained with Gomori ammonium-silver) that
stains these fibers black. He wished to image the stains and counter-stains
by confocal microscopy.

I hava a BioRad 1024 UV confocal with na Argon UV laser (353/361, 488 and
514 nm lines) and a Kr/Ar (488/568/647 nm lines).

Has anyone some hints as to how (exc/emm lines/filters, etc.) - and if it is
possible to image such stains ?

Any inputs are most welcome !

Renato