Luxol Fast Blue Method

Luxol fast blue stain, abbreviated LFB stain or simply LFB, is a commonly used stain to observe myelin under light microscopy. Luxol fast blue is a copper phthalocyanine dye that is soluble in alcohol and is attracted to bases found in the lipoproteins of the myelin sheath. Under the stain, myelin fibers appear blue, neuropil appears pink, and nerve cells appear purple. Luxol fadt blue stain (LFB) is used to visualize myelin in nerve tissue. Thanks to this staining, it is possible to visualize the myelin and the fatty substance of the brain called white matter which includes the axons of the nerve cells. PAS, cresyl violet, hematoxylin and eosin stains can be added to LFB procedure for enhanced staining.