Staining of Pigments & Minerals

Pigmentation

is the process of which substances that absorb visible light and produce color are deposited in the body in normal and abnormal situations

ENDOGENOUS PIGMENTS

produced within the tissue to serve a physiologic function or it may be by-products of normal metabolism i.e. melanin, hemosiderin, bile pigment

EXOGENOUS PIGMENTS

consist of foreign materials usually minerals introduced to the body thru air, food, medication and injections i.e. carbon, iron, silver, silica

ARTIFACT PIGMENTS

usually lie on top of the tissues instead of within the cell. They are produced in tissues during processing and most commonly results from fixation. i.e. formalin pigments

Perl’s Prussian Blue

Classic method of demonstrating iron in tissies. It is not a true special staining technique but rather a histochemical reaction

HEMOSIDERIN

is the most common hemoglobin derivative and the iron containing pigment of hemoglobin

Lillies Method

For demonstrating ferric and ferrous iron

Gomori’s Prussian Blue

For iron pigments

Turnbull’s Blue Reaction for ferrous iron

For hemosiderin

Leuco Patent Blue V stain for Hemoglobin

For Hemoglobin peroxidase

Benzidine Nitroprusside

For hemoglobin and oxidase granules

Modified Fouchet’s

For liver bile pigments

Gmelin Technique

For Bile pigments

Schmorl’s ferric ferricyanide

For bile, lipofucsins and melanin

For argentaffin cells, chromaffin and thyroid colloid

LIPOFUCSIN

known as the “wear and tear” pigment or “brown atrophy” that is usually associated with aging

Gomori’s Aldehyde Fuchsin

For lipofuscin

Mallory’s Fuchsin Stain

For hemofuscin pigment

Masson Fontana Method

For demonstration of melanin and argentaffin granules

Von Kossa

Demonstration of calcium

Modified Von Kossa Method

For mineralized bone and osteoid

Calcium Dye Lake reaction

Staining skeletal system in embryos and fetuses

Alizarin Red S Method

For calcium salts

Lindquist Modified Rhodanine

For staining copper

Gomori’s Methenamine Silver

Staining of urate crystals