Special stains - Muscle and Bones, Connective tissues

Stains muscle

Mallory’s PTAH, Tartrazine

Bones

Balsam

Stains muscle black Black

Mallory’s PTAH

Lissamine Fast Red

Tartrazine

Stains muscle Red

Tartrazine

Van Gieson composition

Picric acid

Acid fuchsin

Collagen

Van Gieson, Masson Trichrome

Collagen: Pink to red

Cytoplasm: yellow

Nuclei: Brownish black to black

Van Gieson

Masson Trichrome composition for Collagen

Aniline blue / Light Green

Masson Trichrome composition for Cytolasm

Ponceau red S (Cytoplasms)

Masson Trichrome composition for nuclei

Hematoxylin (nuclei)

Collagen: green or blue

Cytoplasm: red

Nuclei: black

Masson Trichrome

Mallory’s Trichrome composition

aniline blue, acid fuchsin,

orange G

Collagen

Elastic fiber

Mallory’s Trichrome

Collagen: red

Elastic fiber: yellow

Mallory’s Trichrome

Azocarmine composition

Aniline blue; azocarmine

Connective tissue details

Azocarmine

CT details: deep blue

Nuclei: Deep red

Azocarmine

Weigert’s Iron Hematoxylin composition

Basic fuchsin

Resorcin

Ferric chloride

Elastic fiber

Weigert’s Iron Hematoxylin, Taenzer

Unna, Kraijan

Dark blue

Weigert’s Iron Hematoxylin

Taenzer Unna Composition

Orcein

Dark brown

Taenzer Unna

Silver impregnation (Gomori’s technique) composition

Ammoniacal silver

Reticular/Reticulum/ Reticulin fiber (Argyrophilic, not visible in H&E)

Silver impregnation (Gomori’s technique)

Dark brown (silver oxide)

Silver impregnation (Gomori’s technique)