AUTOMETALLOGRAPHIC SILVER-ENHANCEMENT OF COLLOIDAL GOLD PARTICLES USED TO LABEL PHAGOCYTIC-CELLS

The present paper demonstrates that colloidal gold silver-enhanced by autometallography (AMG) can be used to label phagocytic cells for ligh t microscopic detection. Cultured macrophages were exposed to 0.5-mu-l 6 nm colloidal gold particles for 24 or 48 h. Other cultures were exp osed to 25-mu-l of the same solution for 1 to 14 days. The staining wa s found to be stable also when new unmarked cells were applied. The co lloidal gold had no adverse effect on the cells. The presented techniq ue might also prove valuable for estimation of the total number of pha gocytes in a culture or in an organism by applying labelled cells to c ulture or organism, and to ascertain the fate of a population of marke d cells.