Color Fluorescence of the Major Substances That Comprise Atherosclerotic Plaques after Addition of Nile Blue Dye (NB).

<p>(c): crystal. (f): fiber. (lq): liquid. (p): powder.</p><p>B: blue. BLB: black-brown which masks other fluorescence including background fluorescence. Br: brown. DG: dark green. G: green. Go: golden. LY: light yellow. O: orange. R: red. W: white. Y: yellow. Bold characters: strong fluorescence. Non-bold characters: weak fluorescence.</p><p>no = no fluorescence.</p><p>Nile blue dye (NB) 10⁻⁵ M was added to each substance to evoke color fluorescence. Brown fluorescence was evoked by adding NB to low-density lipoprotein, but was not evoked by any of the other known substances that comprise atherosclerotic lesions. Golden fluorescence was exhibited by apolipoprotein B-100 alone. Red fluorescence was exhibited by lysophosphatidylcholine, triglycerides and apolipoprotein E-2, and they were collectively called “R” in the present study.