ASTRIN - a new trichrome staining technique

The new trichrome stain ASTRIN, composed of alcian blue, safranine, thionine and resorcin, differentiates myocytes from fibrocytes, mature from immature cartilagineous elements, heterochromatic from euchromatic state of nuclear chromatin, and detects neurosecretions. The great differential staining potential of ASTRIN is in all probability due to the dissimilar diffusion rates of its components, for no new dye molecule arises from the combination, as shown by spectrophotometric and thin-layer chromatographic analysis.