The degradation of Romanowsky-type blood stains in methanol.

The oxidative demethylation of Romanowsky-type stains in methanol has been examined quantitatively with respect to its effect upon the staining of blood smears. Spectral changes in bound dye, observed through two color filters, have been measured for the nuclei and cytoplasm of segmented neutrophils and monocytes utilizing the LARC automated differential analyzer. Stain decomposition in methanol results in a large loss in staining intensity with little change in color. The loss in intensity has been correlated with the observed spectral changes in the degraded stain. High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of degraded stain samples has shown the products of methanolic degradation to be different from those obtained in aqueous polychroming reactions. To maintain a stain of defined thiazine dye composition and thus defined staining properties, refrigeration is recommended.