Silver proteinate (brand name: Protargol) is used in electron microscopy with periodic acid and thiocarbohydrazide or thiosemicarbohydrazide as a positive stain for carbohydrates such as glycogen. It can also be used for light microscopy to stain nerve tissue. It is normally available as 8% silver in combination with albumin.[1]
Staining ciliates with silver proteinate can reveal the infraciliature, an important character for identification of ciliates. Hundreds of ciliate species have been discovered using Protargol staining.[2]
Because of its bactericidal properties it was used to treat gonorrhea before the discovery of antibiotics. The inventor of the first silver protein formulation was Arthur Eichengrün, a German chemist working for Bayer. It was introduced for therapeutic use in 1897.[3][4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Silver proteinate at Sigma-Aldrich
- ^ Ji, Daode; Wang, Yunfeng (2018). "An Optimized Protocol of Protargol Staining for Ciliated Protozoa". Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 65 (5): 705–708. doi:10.1111/jeu.12515. PMID 29532600. S2CID 3839382.
- ^ Vaupel, E. (2005), Arthur Eichengrün—Tribute to a Forgotten Chemist, Entrepreneur, and German Jew Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 44: 3344–3355. doi: 10.1002/anie.200462959
- ^ State Medical Examining and Licensing Boards A Handbook of Useful Drugs: Protargol 1913 Press Of The American Medical Association (hosted on: chestofbooks.com)