Nuclear Fast Red Solution Preparation and Application

This dye has been used as a counterstain in saturated aqueous potassium alum and in a counterstain solution of 0.1% (w/v) with 5% aluminum sulfate for a Prussian Blue Stain for ferric iron. It has been used as a reagent for calcium in tissue where it forms a scarlet lake.

Lakes are also formed with lead, ferric ion, copper, tin, and strontium, but not barium.1,2 The suitability of nuclear fast red as a nuclear stain in autoradiographs of knee joints of mice and rats has been reported.

Table of Contents

Nuclear Fast Red Solution Application

Used as a red nuclear counterstain. Nuclear Fast Red solution has been used:

In the dual-beam (FIB (focused ion beam)/SEM (scanning electron microscopy)) analysis of intracellular MNPs (magnetic nanoparticles) distribution.
As a counterstain in LacZ tissue histological analysis, and in extracellular matrix proteoglycan staining.
In situ hybridization.

Components Require

The following components are required to prepare 1L of Nuclear Fast Red Solution.

Component	Amount	Concentration
nuclear fast red (Kernechtrot; C.I. 60760) (mw: 357.27 g/mol)	1 g	0.0028 M
aluminum sulfate (Al2[SO4]3•18H2O) (mw: 666.43 g/mol)	50 g	0.075 M

Nuclear Fast Red Solution Preparation

Prepare 800 mL of distilled water in a suitable container.
Add 1 g of nuclear fast red (Kernechtrot; C.I. 60760) to the solution.

Add 50 g of aluminum sulfate (Al2[SO4]3•18H2O) to the solution.
Add distilled water until volume is 1 L.
Heat with stirring until nearly boiling, then leave overnight to cool. There is a substantial residue of insoluble material, which must be removed by decanting and filtering. The solution keeps for ~1 yr; it may need to be filtered before each use.

References

“Nuclear Fast Red Solution Preparation.” AAT Bioquest, Inc, 02 Jun. 2021, https://www.aatbio.com/resources/buffer-preparations-and-recipes/nuclear-fast-red-solution.
https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/content/dam/sigma-aldrich/docs/Sigma/Product_Information_Sheet/2/n8002pis.pdf