The Comparative Histologic Application of Phorwite Fabric Brighteners

Abstract

Calcofluor white, a chemical substance used as a brightening agent in the fabric and paper industries, was the initial substance of this class to be employed in histology. This agent induces certain microorganisms to fluoresce in ultraviolet light, materially aiding in their tissue identification. Other fabric brighteners, identified as Phorwite compounds, have recently become available for potential use as fluorochromes in histology and histopathology. These have been tested in our laboratories on animal tissues and the results compared. Of ten such substances studied, five were found to possess real ability to delineate cellular morphology, especially the fine distribution of capillaries and red cells within parenchymatous organs, clearly establishing the presence of congestion and petechial hemorrhage. (The J Histotechnol 12:43, 1989).

Keywords:

• fabric brighteners in histology
• fluorescent microscopy
• fluorochromes