Notes Histopathology staining technique

 

Hematological Stains:

Name of Stain	Reagents Used	Type of Tissue	Disease	Results for Different Tissue	Microscopic Characteristics in Pathological Condition
Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E)	Hematoxylin, Eosin	All tissue types	General histopathology	Nuclei - Blue, Cytoplasm - Pink	Altered nuclear size/shape, cytoplasmic abnormalities
Wright-Giemsa	Methylene blue, Eosin, Azure B	Blood, Bone marrow	Hematological disorders	Erythrocytes - Pink, Leukocytes - Purple/Blue	Abnormal cell morphology, presence of immature cells
Romanowsky Stains (e.g., May-Grünwald Giemsa)	Various dyes	Blood, Bone marrow	Hematological disorders	Differential staining of blood cell components
New Methylene Blue	New Methylene Blue solution	Blood, Bone marrow	Hematological disorders	Enhanced visualization of platelets, reticulocytes
Leishman Stain	Leishman stain solution	Blood, Bone marrow	Hematological disorders	Identification of blood cell types
Toluidine Blue	Toluidine blue solution	Blood, Bone marrow	Hematological disorders	Detection of mast cells and basophils

Connective Tissue Stains:

Name of Stain	Reagents Used	Type of Tissue	Disease	Results for Different Tissue	Microscopic Characteristics in Pathological Condition
Masson's Trichrome	Aniline Blue, Biebrich Scarlet, Phosphotungstic acid	Connective tissue	Fibrosis, Collagen disorders	Collagen - Blue, Muscle - Red, Cytoplasm - Pink	Increased collagen deposition, fibrotic changes
Verhoeff-Van Gieson (VVG)	Iron hematoxylin, Van Gieson's solution	Connective tissue	Elastic fibers, Vascular diseases	Elastic fibers - Black, Collagen - Red	Visualization of elastic fibers in tissues, assessment of vascular pathologies
Elastic Van Gieson (EVG)	Weigert's Iron Hematoxylin, Van Gieson's solution	Connective tissue	Elastic fibers, Vascular diseases	Elastic fibers - Black, Cytoplasm - Pink	Identification of elastic fibers and related vascular pathologies
Movat Pentachrome	Aniline Blue, Crocein Scarlet/Acid Fuchsin, Orange G, Phosphotungstic acid	Connective tissue	Histopathology of arteries, Collagen and muscle	Collagen - Blue, Muscle - Red, Nuclei - Black	Differentiation of collagen and smooth muscle in arteries
Orcein Stain	Orcein solution	Connective tissue	Elastic fibers, Dermatopathology	Elastic fibers - Red, Other structures - Yellow	Visualization of elastic fibers in skin and other tissues

Muscle Stains:

Name of Stain	Reagents Used	Type of Tissue	Disease	Results for Different Tissue	Microscopic Characteristics in Pathological Condition
Gomori Trichrome	Aniline Blue, Metanil Yellow	Skeletal muscle	Muscular disorders	Muscle fibers - Blue, Cytoplasm - Red	Assessment of muscle fiber degeneration and regeneration
Modified Gömöri Trichrome	Aniline Blue, Phosphotungstic acid	Skeletal muscle	Muscular disorders	Muscle fibers - Blue, Cytoplasm - Red	Detection of nemaline rods and other muscle abnormalities
Phosphotungstic Acid Hematoxylin (PTAH)	Phosphotungstic acid, Hematoxylin	Muscle, Brain	Neurodegenerative diseases	Fibrin - Blue, Neurofibrils - Pink	Identification of neurofibrils and fibrin deposits in tissues

Bone Stains:

Name of Stain	Reagents Used	Type of Tissue	Disease	Results for Different Tissue	Microscopic Characteristics in Pathological Condition
Von Kossa	Silver nitrate, Sodium thiosulfate	Bone	Calcium deposits, Osteopathology	Calcium deposits - Black stain	Visualization of calcium deposits in bone tissue
Alizarin Red	Alizarin red solution	Bone	Calcium deposits, Osteopathology	Calcium deposits - Red stain	Detection of calcium deposits in bone tissue
Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase (TRAP)	Naphthol AS-MX phosphate, Fast Red Violet LB salt	Bone	Osteoclasts, Bone disorders	Osteoclasts - Red stain	Identification of osteoclasts in bone tissues
Toluidine Blue O	Toluidine blue O solution	Bone	Bone marrow assessment	Visualization of mast cells in bone marrow

Nervous System Stains:

Name of Stain	Reagents Used	Type of Tissue	Disease	Results for Different Tissue	Microscopic Characteristics in Pathological Condition
Luxol Fast Blue	Solvent blue 38, Lithium carbonate	Brain, Spinal cord	Myelin assessment, Multiple Sclerosis	Myelin - Blue stain, Other structures - Pink	Identification of myelin and myelin abnormalities in nervous tissue
Bielschowsky Stain	Silver nitrate, Ammonium hydroxide	Brain	Neurodegenerative disorders	Neurofibrils - Black stain	Visualization of neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaques
Cresyl Violet	Cresyl violet acetate	Brain	Nissl body assessment, Neurological disorders	Nissl bodies - Purple stain	Identification of Nissl bodies in neuronal tissue
Bodian Stain	Silver nitrate solution	Brain	Neuronal morphology, Histopathology	Stained axons and dendrites	Visualization of axons and dendrites in neuronal tissue

Immunohistochemistry Stains:

Name of Stain	Reagents Used	Type of Tissue	Disease	Results for Different Tissue	Microscopic Characteristics in Pathological Condition
Immunohistochemistry (IHC)	Specific antibodies labeled with chromogens	Various tissues	Identification of antigens	Positive antigen expression - Brown stain	Detection of specific proteins/antigens in tissues
In situ Hybridization (ISH)	Specific DNA/RNA probes	Various tissues	Detection of specific nucleic acids	Presence of target DNA/RNA - Colored signal	Localization of specific genes/DNA/RNA in tissues

Special Stains:

Name of Stain	Reagents Used	Type of Tissue	Disease	Results for Different Tissue	Microscopic Characteristics in Pathological Condition
Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS)	Periodic Acid, Schiff's reagent	Glycogen-rich tissues	Glycogen storage diseases	Glycogen - Magenta stain	Abnormal glycogen accumulation, vacuoles in cells
Prussian Blue	Potassium Ferrocyanide, HCl	Tissues with Iron	Iron overload disorders	Iron deposits - Blue stain	Abnormal iron accumulation in cells/tissues
Congo Red	Congo Red solution	Amyloid-rich tissues	Amyloidosis	Amyloid deposits - Red/orange stain	Presence of amyloid deposits in tissues
Methyl Green Pyronin (MGP)	Methyl green, Pyronin Y	Nucleic acids in tissues	Cellular proliferation	DNA - Green stain, RNA - Pink stain	Assessment of cell proliferation and nucleic acid content
Oil Red O	Oil Red O solution	Fat-rich tissues	Lipid droplets, Steatosis	Lipid droplets - Red/orange stain	Visualization of lipid droplets in tissues, assessment of steatosis

Miscellaneous Stains:

Name of Stain	Reagents Used	Type of Tissue	Disease	Results for Different Tissue	Microscopic Characteristics in Pathological Condition
Periodic Acid-Silver Methenamine (PASM)	Periodic Acid, Silver Methenamine	Basement membranes	Glomerulonephritis	Basement membranes - Black stain	Thickening and disruption of basement membranes
Ziehl-Neelsen	Carbol Fuchsin, Acid Alcohol	Tissues with Mycobacteria	Tuberculosis, Leprosy	Acid-fast organisms - Red stain	Presence of acid-fast bacteria, granuloma formation
Von Ebner Stain	Von Ebner's solution	Salivary glands	Salivary gland diseases	Salivary gland secretion - Pink stain	Visualization of salivary gland secretions
Fontana-Masson	Silver nitrate, Gold chloride	Pigment-containing cells	Melanoma, Neuroendocrine tumors	Melanin granules - Black stain, Other structures - Pink	Detection of melanin granules in pigmented tissues
Saffron Stain	Saffron solution	Plant tissues	Plant histology	Differentiation of plant cell structures in tissues