Safranin-O, also known as basic red 2, is a biological stain used in histology and cytology. Safranin is used as a counterstain in some staining protocols, colouring all cell nuclei red. It can also be used for the detection of cartilage, mucin and mast cell granules.
Safranin is a cationic dye used in histology and cytology to distinguish and identify different tissues and cells. It is popular in medical research for staining acidic proteoglycan that is found in cartilage tissues, enabling researchers to analyze cell chondrogenesis.
BioGnost's Gram Safranin solution is used for contrast staining of bacterial species that did not retain their primary dye, i. e. Gram-negative bacteria. That enables differentiating the blue and purple-colored Gram-positive bacteria from the red-colored Gram-negative bacteria.
Safranin is used as a counterstain in some staining protocols, colouring cell nuclei red. This is the classic counterstain in both Gram stains and endospore staining. It can also be used for the detection of cartilage, mucin and mast cell granules.