[Ammoniacal silver method in alkaline pH range as a technique for detection of morpho-functional features of nerve...

An alkaline range pH 9.1-12.3 instead of values pH 7.0-7.1 was used to localize lysine-rich and arginine-rich nucleoproteins by ammonia silver (AS) staining method (Black and Ansley, 1966) in brain structures of rabbits and rats. This modification of AS method made it steady to reveal lysine-rich and arginine-rich nucleoproteins and was able to demonstrate the high variability of protein localization in relation to the balance of essential amino acids in the brain structures with different functions. The best results of morphological staining of nerve, glial cells and their fibres were found at pH 10.6--the point of maximal dissociation of lysine--NH2 groups. At the same time the new modification of AS method allows the use of all alkaline range pH 9.1-12.3 for revealing the cells of nervous tissue and to vary the treatment of sections with silver ions.