TTC Staining of Fresh Tissues

This method is used for calculation of infarct size in brain or heart tissues, however this stain requires the use of fresh, unpreserved tissue and, as such, is generally offered as an optional assessment to in vivo cardiovascular and neurologic studies that are run with MD Biosciences Preclinical Laboratory Services Division.

We use TTC as a redox indicator to differentiate between metabolically active and inactive tissues. Specifically, when TTC is applied to slices of brain or heart tissues following induction of infarct (e.g. middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo), the viable tissue is stained red, while the non-viable infarct remains white. See image results below: