what is the purposes of staining microscopy

Alcian blue stains are simple, but have a lot of background staining. The stain that is the most sensitive is PAS, but you must learn how to interpret it in order to gainspecificity.

The mucin stain with the most specificity is mucicarmine, but it is very insensitive, so it is not really very useful. Mucicarmine - Very specific for epithelial mucins.PAS (peroidic acid-Schiff) - Stains glycogen as well as mucins, but tissue can be pre-digested with diastase to remove glycogen.Alcian blue - The pH of this stain can be adjusted to give morespecificity.Tissue can be pre-digested with hyaluronidase to provide more specificity. The actual blue color comes from a Prussian blue reaction. Phospholipids and free nucleic acids may also stain. Colloidal iron ('AMP') - Iron particles are stabilized in ammonia and glycerin and are attracted to acid mucopolysaccharides.They are PAS negative but do stain selectively with Alcian blue at pH 0.5. Acid (complex, connective tissue) - Found in tissue stroma, cartilage, and bone and include substances such as chondroitin sulfate or keratan sulfate.Alcian blue is positive at pH 1, and colloidal iron, mucicarmine, and metachromatic stains are also positive. Acid (complex, or sulfated, epithelial) - These are found in adenocarcinomas.They do not stain with PAS, but do stain with Alcian blue at pH 2.5, colloidal iron, and metachromatic dyes. Acid (simple, mesenchymal) - These contain hyaluronic acid and are found in tissue stroma.They stain with PAS, Alcin blue at pH 2.5, colloidal iron, and metachromatic dyes. Acid (simple, or non-sulfated) - Are the typical mucins of epithelial cells containing sialic acid.

They stain with PAS but not with Alcian blue, colloidal iron, mucicarmine, or metachromatic dyes. Neutral - These can be found in glands of the GI tract and in prostate.The types of mucopolysaccharides are as follows: There are a variety of mucin stains, all attempting to demonstrate one or more types of mucopolysaccharide substances in tissues. Special Stains Special Stains in HistologyĪnatomy-Histology main menu.

What is the purposes of staining microscopy