Nile Blue A (Nile blue sulfate) is used as the differentiation of melanins and lipofuscins. It is also useful for staining fats and the preparation of an amperometric glucose sensor.
Trx-red (NBL-SS perchlorate) is a red-emitting fluorescent probe derived from the nile blue fluorophore. It is specifically designed for imaging thioredoxin (Trx) in live cells and in vivo, with excitation and emission wavelengths of 615 nm and 661 nm, respectively.