1.

Staining of CARBOHYDRATES
Periodic Acid
Schiff/PAS
PAS with Diastase
Best Carmine

Langhans Iodine
method (Carletons
method)
Oldest stain,
considered
obsolete
Rapid stain but
not a
permanent
stain as it
fades after a
few months
Fresh Frozen Azure A
Metachromatic Stain
Alcian Blue Technique

Metachromatic
staining Toluidine Blue
Staining
Combined Alcian Blue
PAS Technique

Mucicarmine Stain
Southgates
Mucicarmine
Technique
Hales Dialyzed
(colloidal) Iron
Technique
Fluorescent Acridine
Orange Technique
Disadvantage
is that it is
temporary and
will only last
for about 2
hours once the
section is
mounted

For glycogen
For glycogen
For glycogen
Mast cell
granules
Fibrin
Mucin
Not specific for
glycogen
May also stain
amyloid

For
glycosaminoglycans
Most popular method
for general
demonstration of acid
mucins
For
glycosaminoglycans

Demonstration
of mucins
Separating acid
mucins and
neutral mucins
For mucus
For encapsulated fungi
like Cryptococcus
neoformans
For acid mucins

For acid
mucopolysaccharides

Osmic Acid Stain

Not a dye but
an unstable
oxide
Used as
fixative for
electron
microscopy
and in
histochemistry
Nile Blue Sulfate

Toluidine Blue Acetone

Method
Borohydride Periodic
Schiff (BHPS)

Demonstration of
unsaturated fats

For neutral fats

Cholestrin
esters and
cholestrin fatty
acids
Cerebrosides
Fatty acids and
soap
For sulfatide deposits
For gangliosides

3. Staining of PROTEINS
Alkaline Fast Green
Method
Peracetic Acid Alcian
Blue
Sakaguchis test

For basic proteins

especially protamines
and histones
For cysteine and
cysteine
For arginine

4. Staining of ENZYMES
Gomori Calcium
method
Gomori Lead method
Lead method for 5nucleotidase
(Wachsstein and
Meisel)
Alpha naphthyl
acetate method for
non-specific esterases
Indoxyl acetate
method for nonspecific esterases
(Holt and Withers)
Tetrazolium method
for monamine oxidase
(Glenner et. al)

For alkaline
phosphatase
For acid phosphatase
For 5-nucleotidase

For non-specific
esterases
For esterase activity

For monoamine
oxidase activity

5. Staining of NUCLEIC ACID

2. Staining of FATS or LIPIDS
Sudan Black
Sudan IV (Scharlach
R)
Oil Red O method in
Dextrin

For lipids mainly

triglycerides
For fats

Fuelgens techinique
for nuclear DNA
Most reliable
and specific
histochemical
staining

For DNA

technique for
DNA, best
known for
chromatin and
nucleoproteins
Methyl green-pyronin
method
Acridine Orange
fluorescent staining
Most
commonly
used
fluorochrome
to demonstrate
DNA and RNA

lamps
7. Staining of BONE MARROW and BLOOD
ELEMENTS
For RNA and DNA
For RNA and DNA

Highmans Congo Red

Technique
Method of
choice in many
laboratories in
demonstrating
amyloid
Krajians Amyloid
Staining (Modified
Bennhold Method)
Methyl Violet Crystal
Violet Method
Induced Fluorescent
Staining with
Thioflavine T
Fluorescence
may be
imparted to
amyloid by
staining with
thioflavine T
and exposing
the tissue to
ultraviolet or
quartz iodine

Glycol methacrylate
section

For myeloid cells

except basophils

8. Staining of MUSCLE and BONE

6. Staining of CONNECTIVE TISSUE

Gomoris Silver
Impregnation
Van Gieson
Massons Trichrome
Stain
Weigerts Elastic
Tissue Stain
Orcein (Taenzer-UnnaOrcein)
Krjians Techinique
(employing congo red)
Mallorys
Phosphotungstic Acid
Hematoxylin (PTAH)
method

Rapid Toluidine Eosin

stain for glycol
methacrylate section
Wrights Giemsa
Jenner Stain
Peroxidase Reaction
for Myeloid cells

For reticulin fibers

For collagen
For collagen fibers
For elastic fibers
For elastic fibers
Repaid method of
staining elastic fibers
Stain for both
CNS material
and general
tissue
structures
For muscle
striations
For amyloid

Modified Gomoris
Trichrome Stain
Mallorys
Phosphotungstic Acid
Hematoxylin (PTAH)
Heidenhains Iron
Hematoxylin
Lissamine Fast Red Tartrazine
Schmorls Picro
Thionin Method

For muscle fibers and

collagen
For muscle, neuroglia,
myelin, collagen
Muscle striations,
mitochondria, myelin,
and chromatin
For muscles and
bones
For bones (lacunae,
canaliculi, and bone
matrix)

9. Staining of CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Bielschowsky
Technique
Bodians Stain

For amyloid
Sevier Munger
Technique
For amyloid
For amyloid

Cresyl Fast Violet

(Nissl) Stain for
paraffin sections
Weigert Pal Technique
of staining Normal

For neurons, axons,

and neurofibrils
For nerve
fibers and
nerve endings
For
demonstrating
neuritic
plaques and
neurofibrillary
tangles for the
diagnosis of
Alzheimers
disease
Foe neural
tissues
Commonly
used for
demonstrating
neuritic
plaques and
neurofibrillary
tangles for the
diagnosis of
Alzheimers
disease
For missle substance,
neurons
For myelin sheath

Myelin Sheath
Kluver and Barrera
Luxol Fast Blue Stain
for myelin with Nissl
Counterstain
Luxol Fast Blue H&E
Stain
Luxol Fast Blue PAS
Hematoxylin Stain
Weils Method
Cajals Gold Sublimate

For myelin

Widely used for

melanin
demonstration

For myelin
For myelin
For myelin sheath
For astrocytes, nerve
cells and nerve fibers

Modified holzers
Method for astrocytic
processes
10. Staining of TISSUE PIGMENTS and DEPOSITS

Calcium Dye lake

Reaction
Von Kossas Silver
Nitrate Method
Lindquists Modified
Rhodamine Technique

autogenous pigment
(brown or black)
normally found in the
skin and eyes
pathological deposition
of melanin occurs in
benign lesions such as
nevus or mole or in
melanoma
For staining skeletal
system in embryos and
fetuses
For calcium
demonstration
For staining copper

11. Staining of MICROORGANISMS

Perls Prussian Blue

Gomoris Prussian
Blue
Turnbulls Blue
Reaction for ferrous
iron (hemosiderin)
Benzidine
Nitroprusside Stain
Modified Fouchets
Technique
Schmorls Ferric
Ferricyanide method
for reducing
substances

Gomoris Aldehyde
Fuchsin
Mallorys Fuchsin Stain
Masson Fontane
Technique

For hemosiderin the

iron containing pigment
of hemoglobin, seen as
yellow to brown
granules normally found
inside the cell. It is the
most common
hemoglobin derivative
Stain for iron pigments
For hemosiderin

For hemoglobin and

oxidase granules
For liver bile pigments

For argentaffin
cells, chromaffin
For thyroid
colloid For bile,
melanin,
lipofuscins
yellow brown to
reddish brown
pigment
produced by
slow oxidation of
lipids and
lipoproteins, it
can be found in
hepatocytes,
cardiac muscle
cells, adrenal
cortex, and other
organs
For lipofuscin
For hemofuscin pigment
For argentaffin granules
and melanin an

Gram Twort Stain

Brown and Brenn
Ziehl Neelsen Method
Wade Fite Technique
Auramine
Rhodamine
Fluorescent Method
Toluidine Blue Stain
for Helicobacter
Cresyl Violet Acetate
Method for
Helicobacter
Dieterie Method
Levaditis
Wathin-starry Method
Modified Steiner and
Stainer Technique for
Spirochetes
Grocott Methamine
Silver (GMS)
Lendrums PhloxineTartrazine Method
Rapid Giemsa

For bacteria
For bacteria, Nocardia,
and Actinomyces
For AFB
For leprosy bacilli (M.
leprae) and Nocardia
For Mycobacteria

For Helicobacter
For Helicobacter

For Legionella
pneumophilia
For spirochetes
For spirochetes
For spirochetes
Donovan bodies
Fungi and
bacteria
For fungi
For viral inclusions
For HBsAg
For blood and
bone marrow
parasites
(Leishmania,
Malaria, and
Trypanosomes)
Inclusion
conjunctivitis
Toxoplasma
Spirochetes and
other bacteria