SPECAIL STAINS

CARBOHYDRATES
Periodic acid Schiff PAS postive - red/magenta red
Nuclei blue
PAS with diastase for glycogen Glycogen red
Nuclei blue black
Best carmine Glycogen bright red granules
Nuclei blue/grayish blue
Mucin, fibrin weak red
Langhans Iodine method for glycogen Glycogen mahogany brown
(Carletons method) Tissue constituents yellow
Fresh frozen azure A Glycosaminoglycan red-purple
metachromatic staining for glycosaminoglycan Tissue background blue
Alcian blue technique Acid mucin blue
Nuclei red
Metachromatic toluidine blue staining Glycosaminoglycan red-purple
Tissue background blue
Combined aldehyde fuchsin-alcian blue Sulfated mucin purple
Carboxylated mucin - blue
Mucicarmine stain Mucin blue
Nuclei red
Hales dialyzed (colloidal) iron technique Acid mucin dark blue
Nuclei - red
Fluorescent acridine orange tehcnique Acid mucopolysaccharides black
Fungi greenish red fluorescence
Background reddish orange fluorescence

FATS/LIPIDS
Sudan IV (Scharlch R) for lipids Lipids (mainly triglycerides) red
Nuclei blue/black
Oil red O method in dextrin Fat- brilliant red
Nuclei blue
Osmic acid stain for fats Nuclei yellow-orange
Fats - black
Nile blue sulfate for fats Neutral fat pinkish red
Cholesterin esters and cholesterin fatty acids light red
Cerebrosides light blue
Fatty acids deep blue to violet
Toluidine blue acetone method for sulfatide Sulfatide depostits stain metachromatic red
brown/yellow
Borohydride-Periodic Schiff (BHPS) method for Gangliosides red
glycsides Nuclei blue

PROTEINS
Alkaline fast green method for basic proteins
Peracetic acid alcian blue for cystine and
cysteine
Sakaguchis test for arginine
Histones and protamines (found in nuclei) green
Cystine, cysteine blue-green
Arginine orange-red
ENZYMES
Gomori calcium method for ALP ALP activity brownish-black
Nuclei green
Gomori lead method for ACP ACP activity black
Nuclei green
Lead method for 5-nucleotidase (Wachstein 5 nucleotidase blackish-brown deposits
and Meisel)
-naphthyl acetate methodfor nonspecific Esterase reddish brown
esterase Nuclei green
Indoxyl acetate method for nonspecific esterase Esterase acitivity blue
(Holt & Withers) Nuclei red
Tetrazolium method for monoamine oxidase Monoamine oxidase activity bluish black

NUCLEIC ACID
Feulgen technique for nucler DNA DNA red-purple
Cytoplasm green
Methyl green pyronin method for RNA and DNA (chromatin) green/blue green
DNA RNA (nucleoli) rose-red
Acrdine orange fluorescent staining for RNA DNA yellow-green fluorescence
and DNA RNAS brick to orange red

CONNECTIVE TISSUE
Gomoris silver impregnation stain for reticulin Reticulin fibers black
Van Giesons stain for collagen Collagen pink or deep red
Muscle, cytoplasm, rbc and fibrin yellow
Nuclei brownish black to black
Massons trichrome stain Muscle, rbc, keratin - red
Nuclei blue-black
Collagen, mucus blue
Weigerts elastic tissue stain Elastic fibers dark blue/blue-black on clear background
Verhoeffs Elastic fibers black
Nuclei gray to black
Collagen red
Cytoplasm, muscle yellow
Orcein (Taenzer-Unna-Orcein) Elastic fibers dark brown
Nuclei blue
Kajians Technique (Congo red) Elastic fibers bright red
Fibrin, CT dark blue
RBC orange-yellow
Phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin (PTAH) Fibrin, muscle striation, neuroglia, amoeba dark blue
staining (Mallorys) Nuclei, cilia, rbc blue
Myelin lighter blue
Collagen, osteoid, cartilage, elastic fibers deep
brownish-red
Cytoplasm pale pinkish brown
Highmans Congo red method for amyloid Amyloid deep pink to red
Nuclei blue
Alkaline Congo red tehcnique Amyloid, elastic fibers, eosinophil granules red
Krajans amyloid stain (Bennhold method) Amyloid red on a clear background
Nuclei blue
Methyl Violet crystal violet method Amyloid purplish red
Nuclei, cytoplasm, CT, - shades of violet
MUSCLE AND BONE
Gomoris Trichrome stain Muscle fibers red
Collagen green
Nuclei blue to black
Mallorys phosphotungstic acid hemaotxylin Muscle, neuroglia blue
(PTAH) Myelin 0 blue to blue-gray
Collagen reddish
Coarse elastic fibers bluish
Fibrin blue
Nuclei deep blue
Heidenhains iron hematoxylin Muscle striations, mitochondria, myelin & chromatin
grey-black
Lissamine fast red tartrazine method for Muscles, rbc red
muscles and bones Collagen- yellow
Nuclei black
Schmoris picro-thionin method Lacunae, canaliculi dark brown/black
Bone matrix yellow/brownish yellow
Cells - red

BONE MARROW AND BLOOD ELEMENTS

Rapid Toluidine eosin stain for glycol- Eosinophilic granules red
methacrylate sections Basophils & mast cell granules blue
Nuclei blue
Cytoplasm blue/pink
Wright-Giemsa or Jenner Giemsa stain Nuclei purple/blue
Cytoplasm pink/blue
Eosinophils pink/red
Peroxidase reaction for myeloid cells Myeloid cells (except basophils) green to dark blue
granules

CENTRAL NERVOUS TISSUE

Bielchowskys technique for neurons, axons &
neurofibrils
Sevier Munger technique for neural tissues
Cresyl fast violet (Nissl) stain for paraffin
sections
Weigert-Pal technique of staining normal myelin
sheath
Kluver and Barrers Luxol fast blue stain for
myelin with Nissle counterstain
Luxol fast blue H & E stain for myelin
Neurofibrils, axons, dendrites black on grayish
background
Large & small peripheral neuritis black
Axons black
Myelin sheath light brown
Neuritic plaques & tangles black
Argentaffin granules black
Nissl granules purple/dark blue
Neurons pale purple/blue
Cell nuclei purple blue
Myelin sheath blue-black
Cells brown
Myelin blue/green
Cells violet
Myelin blue-green
Nuclei dark blue
Cytoplasm s hades of pink
 Luxol fast blue PAS stain for myelin Myelin blue/green
Fungi and PAS (+) elements rose to red
Nuclei dark blue
Cytoplasmic nucleoproteins bluish purple
Capillaries - red
Weils method for myelin sheath Myelin black
Background yellow
Cajals gold sublimate Astrocytes black on a light brownish background
Nerve cells red
Nerve fibers unstained
Holzers method for astrocytic process Glial fibril blue
Nuclei blue
Background - colorless

TISSUE PIGMETNS AND DEPOSITS

Perls Prussian blue method for hemosiderin Hemosiderin and ferric salts deep blue
(ferric iron) Tissue, nuclei red
Gomoris Prussian blue stain for iron Irom pigments bright blue
Nuclei red
Cytoplasm pink to rose
Turnbulls blue reaction for ferrous iron Hemosiderin blue
(hemosiderin) Nuclei red
Benzidine nitroprusside stain for hemoglobin Hgb, oxidase granules dark blue
and oxidase granules Nuclei red
Other tissues faint pink
Fouchets technique for liver bile pigments Bile pigments emerald to blue green
Muscle yellow
Collagen - red
Schmoris ferric ferricyanide method for reducing Bile, lipofuchsins, melanin- dark blue
substances Argentaffin cells, chromatin dark blue
Thyroid colloid dark blue
Nuclei - red
Gomoris aldehyde fuchsin technique for Lipofuchsin purple
lipofuchsin Background yellow
Mallorys fuchsin stain for hemofuchsin pigment Hemofuchsin red
Hemosiderin unstained
Nuclei blue
Masson-Fontana technqiue of staining melanin Melanin blue
and argentaffin cells granules Argentaffin cell granules black
Nuclei red
Calcium-dye lake reaction Calcium salts intense reddish orange
Background pale green
Von Kossas silver nitrate method for calcium Calcium salts black
Nuclei red
Linqiusts modified rhosamine tehcnique for Coppe, copper associated protein red to orange-red
copper Nuclei blue
Bile - green
MICROORGANISMS
Gram-Twort stain for bacteria Gram(+) organisms blue-black
Gram(-) organisms pink-red
Nuclei red
Most cytoplasm, rbc green
Elastic fibers black
Brown and Brenn (B & B) method for bacteria. Gram (+) bacteria blue
Nocardia and Actinomyces Gram (-) bacteria red
Nuclei red
Other tissue elements yellow
Ziehl-Neelsen method for AFB AFB red
Cells, nuclei blue
RBC pink
Wade-Fite for Leprosy bacilli and Nocardia M. leprae, other Mycobacteria, Nocardia red
Background blue
Nuclei blue-black (if hematoxylin is used)
Auramine-Rhodamine stain for Mycobacteria golden yellow (light fluoresence <
Mycobacteria(Fluorescent method) 530nm)
Background dark green
Toluidine blue stain for Helicobacter Helicobacter dark blue
Dieterle method for Legionella pneumophila L. pneumophila, spirochetes dark brown to black
Background yellow
Levaditis method for spirochetes Spirochetes black on a yellowish brown background
Warthin-Starry method for spirochetes Spirochetes black
Background golden yellow
Modified Steiner and Steiner technique for Spirochetes, Donovan bodies, fungi, bacteria black
spirochetes Background yellow to brown
Grocot methernamine silver(GMS) stain for fungi Fungi black
Mucin, glycogen gray-black
Myceliam hyaphae old rose
RBC yellow
Background pale green
Lendrums phloxine tartrazine method for viral Viral inclusions bright red
inclusions RBC yellwo to orange-red
Nuclei blue-gray
Background yellow to pink
Orcein method for HBsAg HbsAg brown-black
Background yellow
Rapid Giemsa stain Bacteria blue
Mast cell granules deep blue
Eosinophilic granules red
Nuclei blue
Cytoplasm - pink