Toluidine Blue O

A metachromatic dye suitable for a wide variety of histological staining procedures.

Toluidine Blue O along with light-emitting diode has been used as a photosensitizer to control in vitro biofilms and to kill gram-negative bacteria.[1][2]

Toluidine Blue O (TBO) is a thiazine dye of the quinone-imine family and is cationic in nature. It has been employed in polychromatic staining of paraffin embedded plant cell walls.[3] TBO can be removed from its aqueous solution by using an effective adsorbent, clinoptilolite.[4] TBO and fixed output laboratory laser light source are used together to destroy variety of oral bacteria associated with dental caries.[5] This metachromatic nuclear stain is often used in place of thionin or methylene blue. It also serves as a component of a tribasic stain along with Malachite Greenand Basic Fuchsin.[6]

Certified for use as a metachromatic stain for mast cells and cartilage using the Churukian-Schenk method and the method of Nocht on paraffin sections.