Morphological heterogeneity among macrophage subsets, such as M0, M1, and M2, reflects functional diversity and activation status. Identifying and quantifying these morphological differences is essential for studies in immunology, oncology, infectious diseases, and drug development.

At Creative Biolabs, we offer comprehensive morphological difference analysis services utilizing Giemsa-Wright staining and lysosome-specific staining, enabling researchers to profile macrophage differentiation, macrophage activation, and macrophage polarization with high precision and reproducibility.

Morphological Difference Analysis Among Macrophages

As an indispensable part of the host defense system, macrophages exhibit diverse phenotypes and perform intricate roles in both innate and adaptive immune responses. A throughout comprehension of macrophages is important to promote their application of drug discovery and immunotherapy development.

Fig.1 The development process of macrophages.^1,3

Giemsa-Wright staining is a modified Romanowsky stain that vividly delineates nuclear morphology, chromatin distribution, cytoplasmic granularity, and cell boundaries. This staining method is particularly valuable for distinguishing monocyte-derived macrophages and assessing morphological polarization.

Lysosome staining utilizes acidotropic dyes or immunofluorescence markers to visualize acidic vesicles and lysosomal compartments - organelles central to macrophage phagocytosis and autophagy.

Our Morphological Difference Analysis Service by Gimesa-Wright Staining and Lysosome Staining

The morphological difference analysis service by Gimesa-Wright staining and lysosome staining from Creative Biolabs is a staining-based experiment service. By observing staining and fluorescence density, we are able to analyze relevant morphological differences such as size differences, morphological differences, and lysosomal content differences among diverse macrophages. Furthermore, we provide a well-established macrophage isolation and culture service to enable our macrophage morphological difference analysis service. At Creative Biolabs, we are confident in presenting high-quality macrophage morphological analysis results to support global customers' diverse projects.

Fig.2 Workflow of our morphological difference analysis service by Gimesa-Wright staining and lysosome staining.

Our morphological difference analysis service by Gimesa-Wright staining and lysosome staining is suitable for both primary cells and cell lines. Simultaneously, we provide multiple types of macrophage cell lines to strengthen our morphological difference analysis service:

Fig.3 Macrophage cell lines.

Our end-to-end solution includes customized sample processing, staining, imaging, and morphometric analysis.

Table 1 Service specifications

Related Products

We provide morphological difference analysis services to help researchers gain insight into macrophage changes under different environments and conditions. To better serve the needs of researchers, we also provide a series of related experimental reagents and products.

Through our services and products, you will be able to more deeply study the morphological characteristics of macrophages and their potential role in immune response, providing strong support for your research.

Service Features

Improved Dye

Improved Gimesa-Wright dye features high sensitivity, rapidness, and stability, and is designed to generate a more pronounced staining effect for nuclei and basophilic sites.

Dual-Staining Expertise

Our optimized protocols for sequential or co-staining maximize information from a single sample.

Compatibility

Compatibility for multiple types of samples: Blood, bone marrow, spleen, peritoneum, and many others.

Quantitative Imaging Analysis

We combine morphological staining with advanced image analysis software for reproducible results.

Customized Project Support

From experimental design to final data interpretation, our experts tailor the workflow to your goals.

Integration with Functional Assays

Morphology alone is not the end—we support integration with flow cytometry, ELISA, cytokine profiling, and more.

Publications

Based on Gimesa-Wright staining and lysosome staining, the research identified the differences among macrophages from peritoneal, bone marrow, and splenic tissues. The results displayed that peritoneal macrophages (PMs) had larger cell sizes than bone marrow macrophages (BMs) and splenic macrophages (SPMs). Furthermore, compared to PMs and BMs, SPMs had a longer spindle form and less lysosomal content while PMs and SPMs had more cytoplasm than BMs. These results intuitively reflected the maturity of macrophages from these three sources.

Fig.4 Morphological characteristics of macrophages from peritoneal, bone marrow, and splenic.^2,4

Scientific Resources

Learn More Macrophage Biology

Download Macrophages Development

Learn More Methods for Evaluation of Macrophage Function In Vitro

Learn More Isolation and Identification of Macrophages

Q & A

Q: What types of macrophage samples can I submit for morphological analysis?

A: We accept a wide range of macrophage sources, including primary macrophages derived from human or animal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), and immortalized macrophage cell lines such as THP-1, RAW264.7, or J774A.1. If you're using THP-1 or monocytes, we also offer optional induced differentiation as part of the service. For optimal results, we recommend discussing your sample origin and preparation method with our team in advance so we can tailor the staining and analysis accordingly.

Q: Can I submit frozen or fixed samples? What are the sample requirements?

A: Yes, both fresh and fixed samples are acceptable, with some caveats:

• Fixed cells: Preferably fixed in methanol or paraformaldehyde depending on staining. Ideal for pre-attached coverslip samples or cytospins.
• Frozen slides: Must be properly cryoprotected.
• Live cells: Recommended for lysosomal staining using LysoTracker. These must arrive under temperature-controlled conditions.

A sample submission guideline will be provided upon project initiation.

Q: How are M1 and M2 macrophages distinguished morphologically in this assay?

A: M1 and M2 macrophages exhibit distinct and measurable differences in nuclear morphology, cytoplasm granularity, lysosome distribution and cell shape under our staining protocols. Our service quantifies these parameters across multiple fields of view to provide statistically robust comparisons between polarized states.

Q: What kind of imaging and data output will I receive?

A: Our deliverables include:

• High-resolution images
• Image panels
• Quantitative data
• Analysis report

Upon request, we also provide raw image files for downstream analysis by your in-house team.

References

1. Duan, Zhaojun, and Yunping Luo. "Targeting macrophages in cancer immunotherapy." Signal transduction and targeted therapy 6.1 (2021): 127. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-021-00506-6
2. Wang, Changqi, et al. "Characterization of murine macrophages from bone marrow, spleen and peritoneum." BMC Immunology 14.1 (2013): 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2172-14-6
3. Under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.
4. Under Open Access license CC BY 2.0, without modification.