Leucocrystal Violet CAS 603-48-5

Has strong pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antifungal, and deworming properties. Its 1% aqueous solution (commonly known as "purple medicine") has been widely used for the prevention and treatment of skin and mucosal infections. It has a killing effect on Gram positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, as well as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Trichophyton epidermidis. It can be used to treat traumatic infections and ulcers of the skin and mucous membranes, small burns, oral herpes, ulcerative pharyngitis, thrush, fungal urethritis, vulvitis, etc.

When in use, applying a 1% -2% aqueous or alcohol solution to the affected skin can prevent bacterial infection and local tissue fluid leakage. It can also form a protective film by combining with necrotic tissue, which has a converging effect.
However, due to animal experiments demonstrating the potential teratogenic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic effects of crystal violet on humans and animals, the development of modern drugs has largely replaced its medical use and is only retained as a local disinfectant under specific conditions. For example, in some small wound treatments, if there is no more suitable disinfectant and the patient has no adverse reactions such as allergies, caution may be exercised when using it.

Since the 1930s, it has been used as an in vitro deworming agent in the aquaculture industry, particularly effective in treating proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in fish. However, due to its harmfulness, many countries have listed crystal violet as a banned drug in aquaculture. However, the standard substance of dark crystal violet (the main metabolite formed by the metabolic transformation of crystal violet in organisms) is mainly used for the determination of residual crystal violet in aquatic products to ensure the quality and safety of aquatic products.
 

Chromosomal double staining: Using safranin and its derivatives for chromosome double staining, chromosomes are stained red and spindle fibers are stained purple, making it an excellent staining agent for displaying cell division. During cell division, the morphology and quantity of chromosomes undergo changes. Through this dual staining method, various stages of cell division can be more accurately observed and analyzed, providing important experimental evidence for cell biology research.
Cilia staining: Using it to stain cilia also has a good effect. Cilia is a small hair like structure on the surface of cells that has functions such as movement and perception.

When studying cilia related diseases or cell movement mechanisms, their staining can help to clearly observe the morphology and distribution of cilia.

Cell section staining: In histology and cytology, leucocrystal violet is used to stain cell sections and smears to observe cell morphology and structure. However, the disadvantage of using it to stain slices is that it is not easy to preserve for a long time, which may be due to the chemical properties or staining mechanism of crystal violet. It is necessary to pay attention to timely observation and recording of staining results during experimental operations.

Crystal violet is a primary staining agent for Gram staining, which is one of the most important and classic classification and identification methods in bacteriology. The principle is that after forming a complex with iodine solution in bacterial cells, Gram positive bacteria can effectively retain the complex and turn purple due to the thick and tightly cross-linked peptidoglycan layer on the cell wall; The cell wall structure of Gram negative bacteria is different, and the dye is easily washed out during the decolorization step, ultimately resulting in a red color after re staining. This method provides a key basis for quickly identifying bacterial species and guiding clinical medication. For example, when diagnosing bacterial infectious diseases, we can preliminarily judge whether the infected bacteria are gram-positive bacteria or gram-negative bacteria through Gram staining, so as to select appropriate antibiotics for treatment.

Based on the characteristic that live cells can adhere to the surface of culture vessels and be stained with crystal violet, this dye is commonly used for quantitative analysis of cell viability, proliferation ability, and cytotoxic effects of drugs or treatment factors. Dead cells or cells with impaired vitality will shed from the surface, leading to weakened staining. The cell state can be indirectly evaluated by measuring the staining intensity.

During the specific operation, the cells are cultured in a specific culture vessel, and after a certain period of cultivation and treatment, they are stained with adherent live cells. Then, an eluent (such as ethanol or 33% acetic acid solution) is added to dissolve the dye, and the OD value is measured at a wavelength of 590 nm. The OD value is directly proportional to the number of live cells and can be used to calculate the relative survival rate, thereby evaluating the impact of drugs or treatment factors on cells.

Biofilm is a structured community formed by microorganisms adhering to a surface, closely related to bacterial resistance, medical device infections, and other factors. It can be used to stain formed biofilms, then wash out the dye and measure the OD value, which directly reflects the total biomass of the biofilm. This method can quantify bacterial adhesion and film-forming ability, providing experimental evidence for studying the formation mechanism of biofilms and developing drugs to inhibit biofilms. For example, when studying the inhibitory effect of a new antibacterial material on bacterial biofilms, crystal violet staining can be used to evaluate the antibacterial effect.

It can be used as a sensitive colorimetric reagent for detecting various metal ions such as thallium, zinc, antimony, mercury, etc. The principle is that leucocrystal violet forms ion complexes with these metal ions, which can be extracted by organic solvents such as benzene and toluene. By measuring the absorbance and other parameters of the extraction solution, the content of metal ions can be determined. This method has the advantages of high sensitivity and good selectivity, and has important application value in environmental monitoring, mining, steel and other fields. For example, when detecting heavy metal pollution in water bodies, crystal violet colorimetric method can be used to quickly and accurately determine the concentration of heavy metal ions such as thallium and antimony in water samples.

Crystal violet indicator solution can be used as an acid-base indicator, with a pH value color change range of 0.5 (green) -2.0 (blue), also expressed as pH value 0.15 (yellow) -0.32 (green), pH value 1.0 (green) -1.5 (blue), pH value 2.0 (blue) -3.0 (purple). When using acetic acid as a solvent and acid titrant to titrate alkali, it is a commonly used indicator. In non-aqueous titration, color changes can occur based on the acidity or alkalinity of the solution, thus accurately determining the endpoint of the titration.

Can be used as a reagent for the determination of lipids by thin-layer chromatography. Thin layer chromatography is a commonly used method for separating and analyzing compounds. In lipid analysis, it can undergo specific reactions with lipids, resulting in different spots appearing on the thin layer plate. By comparing the position and color depth of the spots, qualitative and quantitative analysis of lipids can be performed.