Liu's stain (劉氏染色法) is a staining technique used to stain animal cells. It is an improved staining based on

Romanowsky stain Romanowsky staining, also known as Romanowsky–Giemsa staining, is a prototypical staining technique that was the forerunner of several distinct but similar stains widely used in hematology (the study of blood) and cytopathology (the study of di ...

, and was introduced by professor Chen-Hui Liu(劉禎輝), faculty of National Taiwan University, in 1953. The method sees a wide variety of usage in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Comparing to other staining methods, Liu's stain is relatively fast, taking no more than 3 minutes to complete the process. In pathology, Liu's stain is primarily used to distinguish blood cells, but it can also apply on vaginal discharge,

sputum Sputum is mucus that is coughed up from the lower airways (the trachea and bronchi). In medicine, sputum samples are usually used for a naked eye examination, microbiological investigation of respiratory infections and cytological investigations ...

, and

pus Pus is an exudate, typically white-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammation during bacterial or fungal infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection ...

as a simple stain.

Components

Liu's stain is composed of two dyes, Liu A and Liu B. Liu A is the anionic dye, contains eosin Y to stain

cytoplasm In cell biology, the cytoplasm is all of the material within a eukaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, except for the cell nucleus. The material inside the nucleus and contained within the nuclear membrane is termed the nucleoplasm. The ...

as well as

hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythrocyte ...

into red. Liu B, on the other hand, is the cationic dye, contains azur I and methylene azure, to stain nucleus and basophilic granules into blue. To apply the stain on a fixed smear, first add Liu A for some 45 seconds, then add Liu B for some 90 seconds. Then, wash off the excessive dye by gently flushing the back of the smear. The staining is done after the water on the smear dried up. {, class="wikitable" , + Component of Liu's stain ! Dye !! colspan="5 , Ingredients , - , Liu A , ,

Eosin Y Eosin Y, also called C.I. 45380 or C.I. Acid Red 87, is a member of the triarylmethane dyes. It is produced from fluorescein by bromination. Use Eosin Y is commonly used as the red dye in red inks. It is commonly used in histology, most notabl ...

, ,

Methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical and the simplest aliphatic alcohol, with the formula C H3 O H (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often abbreviated as MeOH). It is a ...

Ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl ...

(for fixation) , , Methylene azure (trace amount) , - , Liu B , , Azur I , , Methylene azure , ,

Disodium phosphate Disodium phosphate (DSP), or disodium hydrogen phosphate, or sodium phosphate dibasic, is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2HPO4. It is one of several sodium phosphates. The salt is known in anhydrous form as well as forms with 2, 7, 8, ...

, , Monopotassium phosphate , , Water

Components

See also