What chondrocyte structures are stained using Alcian Blue? Can I use this staining method for chondrocytes in monolayer cultures?

Alcian Blue stains the extracellular matrix of chondrocytes, e.g. cartilage-specific aggrecan and other glycosaminoglycans. To our knowledge, chondrocytes only express aggrecans when grown in 3-D culture and not in 2-D culture. To detect cartilage specific markers in monolayer culture, it is recommended to perform immunofluorescence detection of collagen type II.