Cresyl violet

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title: "Cresyl violet" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["oxazine-dyes", "chlorides", "staining-dyes"] description: "Basic dye and is used as a common stain in histology" topic_path: "general/oxazine-dyes" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cresyl_violet" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Basic dye and is used as a common stain in histology ::

| verifiedrevid = 428778050 |IUPACName=(9-dimethylamino-10-methyl-benzo[a]phenoxazin-5-ylidene)ammonium chloride |ImageFile=Cresyl_violet_in_weigh_boat.jpg |ImageSize=270px |ImageAlt = Cresyl violet powder |ImageFile1=Cresyl violet.svg |OtherNames= 9-(Dimethylamino)-5-imino-10-methyl-5H-benzo[a]phenoxazine hydrochloride Cresole violet |Section1= {{Chembox Identifiers | InChIKey = ZHAFUINZIZIXFC-UHFFFAOYAN | StdInChIKey_Ref = | StdInChIKey = ZHAFUINZIZIXFC-UHFFFAOYSA-N | ChemSpiderID_Ref = | ChemSpiderID = 27064 | PubChem = 29092 | CASNo = 18472-89-4 | EC_number = 242-356-1 | UNII = 2AB49C465R | ChEBI = 52815 | Beilstein = 3910949 | InChI = 1/C19H17N3O.ClH/c1-11-8-15-17(10-16(11)22(2)3)23-18-9-14(20)12-6-4-5-7-13(12)19(18)21-15;/h4-10,20H,1-3H3;1H | StdInChI_Ref = | StdInChI = 1S/C19H17N3O.ClH/c1-11-8-15-17(10-16(11)22(2)3)23-18-9-14(20)12-6-4-5-7-13(12)19(18)21-15;/h4-10,20H,1-3H3;1H | SMILES=[Cl-].N=1c4c(OC=3C=1c2ccccc2\C(=[NH2+])\C=3)cc(c(c4)C)N(C)C | MeSHName= |Section2= {{Chembox Properties | Formula=C19H18ClN3O | MolarMass =339.8187 | Appearance= | Density= | MeltingPt = | BoilingPt = |Section3= {{Chembox Hazards | FlashPtC = 245.5

Cresyl violet is an organic compound with the chemical formula C19H18ClN3O. It is a basic dye and is used as a common stain in histology.

Cresyl violet stain

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Brainmaps-macaque-hippocampus.jpg" caption="Cresyl violet stained partial brain section of a [[Macaque]]."] ::

It is used in biology and medicine as a histological stain. Cresyl violet is an effective and reliable stain used for light microscopy sections. Initially, tissue sections are "defatted" by passing through graded dilutions of ethanol. Then, rehydrated by passing back through decreasing concentrations of ethanol. Lastly, back into water. The ethanol solutions act to differentiate the stain, causing myelin and other components to lose color whereas perikarya retain the color. It is also used to find Helicobacter pylori.

Intestinal mucins also take up the stain although not as strongly as Campylobacter-like organisms.

Cresyl violet is used to stain Heinz bodies in red blood corpuscles or for staining of the neurons in the brain and spinal cord. It is used to demonstrate the Nissl substance in the neurons and cell nuclei. In this role it is also often used as a counterstain to Luxol fast blue, which stains the myelin.

References

References

1. (1998). "Effect of ''Helicobacter pylori'' eradication on the natural history of duodenal ulcer disease". Arch. Dis. Child..
2. (July 2025). "Cresyl fast violet staining method for ''Campylobacter'' like organisms". J. Clin. Pathol..

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::