Técnica de Tinta China en células adherentes en cultivo

Objective. To implement the use of China ink, as an alternative technique, to display morphological changes in cellular wall and cellular matrix in adherent living cells in culture flask, before and after exposure to a toxic substance. Methods. China Ink was implemented as a contrast technique in optical microscopy, by comparing observed sharpness (proper appreciation of edge structures) from cultures of bone marrow stem cells (CTMO) exposed to the toxic glycoalkaloid α-solanine. The sharpness differences were compared among the diverse treatments with Fisher’s exact test. Results. China Ink staining clearly helps to identify abnormal phenotypic changes, secondary to cytotoxic exposure in adherent cells in culture (p <0.0001). Conclusions. China Ink is useful in clearly displaying the CTMO cells and the effects of the α-solanine glycoalkaloid in adherent cells in culture. It is a simple method that contributes to the understanding of the effect of various substances on CTMO in culture.