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Published on: June 3, 2016
Oil red-O stains non-adipogenic cells: a precautionary note
Adrienne D Kinkel1, Melinda E Fernyhough, Deri L Helterline
1Muscle Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences , Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA.
Cytotechnology
|November 13, 2008
Summary
Choosing the right solvent is crucial when using Oil red-O (ORO) stain. Certain ORO preparations can stain non-fat cells, impacting differentiation studies.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Biochemistry
- Histology
Background:
- Oil red-O (ORO) is a common stain used to detect lipid droplets in adipocytes.
- Accurate lipid quantification is essential for studying adipogenesis and related metabolic processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of different solvents on the efficacy and specificity of Oil red-O (ORO) staining.
- To determine the optimal solvent for ORO staining in pre-adipocytes and other cell types.
Main Methods:
- Culturing various cell lines including bovine adipofibroblasts, 3T3-L1 cells, L-6 myogenic cells, and sheep satellite cells.
- Dissolving ORO in isopropanol, propylene glycol, and triethyl phosphate.
- Staining proliferative cell cultures with the prepared ORO solutions.
Main Results:
- ORO dissolved in propylene glycol and triethyl phosphate produced bright red lipid droplets in all tested cell cultures.
- ORO dissolved in isopropanol was not effectively taken up by any of the cells.
- ORO preparations in certain solvents may stain cells from non-adipogenic lineages and undifferentiated pre-adipocytes.
Conclusions:
- The choice of solvent significantly affects ORO staining results.
- Propylene glycol and triethyl phosphate are suitable solvents for ORO staining, showing uptake across various cell types.
- Caution is advised when using ORO, particularly with isopropanol, in differentiation studies of fat/adipose lineage cells to avoid misinterpretation of results.
