Application of the chromogenic reaction to conventional silver staining, the Ag-NOR staining and the silver-intensified immunogold technique.

The principle of the chromogenic reaction and the transformation of "black and white" histochemical staining results or immunohistochemical signals to coloured microscopic images is described. The chromogenic reaction was optimized and is, so far, possible with either cyan-blue or magenta-red reaction products. The application of the chromogenic reaction to conventional silver stain was optimal in the Lendrum staining resulting in red or blue stained reticulin fibres.

Use of lectin-immunohistochemistry in joint diseases.

The lectin binding pattern of the inflamed synovial tissue of patients with OA (osteoarthritis) and RA (rheumatoid arthritis) were examined with 18 different lectins. The synovial lining cells are heavily stained by PHA-L, WGA, PNA, Con A, MPA and RCA. In the subsynovial layer, WGA, PHA-L and RCA were found to be fairly good monocytic markers.

Immunophotometric analysis of immunoglobulin synthesis and deposition in synovial membranes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Immunophotometrical measurements of the Ig synthesis of plasma cells in joint capsules of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis were compared. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis showed higher mean values in the single plasma cell than patients with osteoarthritis for all Ig isotypes except IgG. These results are indicative for a B cell activation with increased synthesis of Ig in RA.

Colour development of immunogold-labelled antibodies for light microscopy.

We describe an improvement of the immunogold technique, which is based on the colour development of silver-intensified immunogold signals. This method (referred to as the coloured-SIG technique) was found to be as sensitive as the silver-intensified immunogold method and more sensitive (in two of the three tested systems) than immunoenzymatic procedures, such as the peroxidase/antiperoxidase technique or the avidin-biotin system. The coloured SIG-method results in either a magenta-red or a cyan-blue final reaction product.