A Histochemical Test for Citrulline: Adaptation of the Carbamido Diacetyl Reaction to Histologic Sections with Positive Results in Pilomatrixomas (Calcifying Epitheliomas)
February 1968
in “
Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry
”
Studysummary This study reports that citrulline, uniquely found in the inner root sheath of hair follicles, can be specifically detected with the carbamido diacetyl reaction, resulting in a bright orange color. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study investigated a histochemical test for detecting citrulline in hair follicle components, specifically the inner root sheath, which contained 6.1% citrulline by dry weight. Traditional methods using Ehrlich's reagent were less specific due to interference from tryptophan. The researchers adapted Fearon's diacetyl monoxime reagent for a more specific test, which involved a reaction in hot acid solution and used a silicone rubber adhesive to withstand boiling hydrochloric acid. This method successfully colored the inner root sheath bright orange and showed positive results in some keratinous areas of pilomatrixomas.
