Covers a histochemical slide of kidney tissue showing succinate dehydrogenase, stained by the Nachlas tetrazolium method on frozen sections. Explains how the enzyme reduces nitro blue tetrazolium to blue-purple formazan, so mitochondria-rich tubules appear dark blue while glomeruli stay pale. Notes the basal row arrangement of granules and warns against confusion with the acid phosphatase lysosome slide.
Inside: 1 section · 1 min
Topic 96 of 127 in the MU Sofia syllabus for Cytology (Dental Medicine, Year 1). The free AceMed note covers it in 1 section, about 107 words (1 min of reading).
In this note
Introduction
Introduction
An enzyme histochemistry slide. Succinate dehydrogenase sits in the inner mitochondrial membrane, so the slide shows where mitochondria are.
Stain
Nachlas method, on frozen sections: as the enzyme oxidises succinate, it passes electrons to a colourless tetrazolium salt (nitro blue tetrazolium). This is reduced to insoluble blue-purple formazan.
How to recognise it
Kidney tubules stained dark blue, because their cells are packed with mitochondria.
The granules lie in rows in the basal part of the cells, between the infoldings of the basal membrane.
Glomeruli stay pale.
Don't confuse it with: the acid phosphatase slide (lysosomes, brown-black lead sulphide).
Theory: topics 4 (methods for enzymes) and 21 (mitochondria).
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