Use of Trypan blue stain to count cells

April 06, 2015

University of Nebraska Medical Center
Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience
Graduate Research Assistant

Overall

Quality of Results

Ease-of-Optimization

What do these ratings mean?
Write a Review

Company:

Sigma-Aldrich

Product Name:

Trypan Blue Solution

Catalog Number:

T8154

I am conducting research on Parkinson’s disease, looking specifically at how effector T cells are able to modulate and exacerbate the neurodegeneration seen in the substantia nigra of Parkinson’s patients. Trypan Blue is used to stain cells whihc are then counted on a hemacytometer.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

Cell culture

Starting Material

Any type of cell

Protocol Overview

Cells are reconstituted in 1ml of solution. Cells are counted at a 1:100 dilution by adding 10 microliters of cell solution to 90 microliters of trypan blue. 10 microliters of the Trypan Blue solution is then loaded onto a hemacytometer and covered with a weighted coverslip. Cells are then counted.

Tips

Be sure to mix the cell solution thoroughly with the trypan blue solution

Results Summary

The Trypan Blue solution stains the dead cells blue, so when counting you get a very accurate count as to how many live cells you still have left in your solution.

Additional Notes

None

Related Categories

Image Gallery

Summary

The Good

The Trypan Blue solution is a great indicator of which cells are live and which are dead. It is easy to tell under the microscope which cells are dead and have taken up the solution.

The Bad

None have been seen yet.

The Bottom Line

Using Trypan Blue is a quick, easy way to be able to count your cells accurately.

Join the discussion