What are the applicable dyes for fluorescent staining of amyloids?
Posted July 11, 2024
The applicable dyes for fluorescent staining of amyloids include Thioflavin T and Thioflavin S. These dyes bind specifically to amyloid fibrils and emit fluorescence when exposed to certain wavelengths of light, allowing for the visualization of amyloid deposits in tissues.
Thioflavine T is predominantly used for this purpose. It is a basic cell-permeable benzothiazole dye with a yellow component. Thioflavine T has an excitation peak at 349 nm and an emission peak at 454 nm and exhibits enhanced fluorescence on binding to amyloid fibrils.
Thioflavine S is an acid dye that increases its fluorescence intensity on binding to amyloid fibrils. On staining with Thioflavine S, amyloids fluoresce an apple green color under fluorescence microscope.
Molecular mechanism of Thioflavin-T binding to amyloid fibrils