Description
General description
Methylene blue, also known as methylthioninium chloride, is a photoactive phenothiazine dye. It is a small molecular weight dye, which is effective against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria.
Methylene blue is used to stain animal cells to make their nuclei more observable. It is a component of staining media such as Wright′s stain and Jenner′s stain.
Application
Methylene Blue solution has been used to stain human amniotic fluid stem cells to determine cell viability. It has also been used to stain sections to determine the presence of mycobacteria.
Methylene blue is used to stain blood films/smears used in cytology and to stain RNA or DNA for viewing under the microscope or on hybridization membranes.