Alcian Blue is a stain that is used to visualize acidic epithelial and connective tissue mucins. Mucins are a type of carbohydrate and are found in the GI tract and respiratory tract. Acidic mucins have a negative charge.

What does Alcian blue stain?

PURPOSE: Alcian blue stains acid mucosubstances and acetic mucins. … 5), Alcian blue stains both sulfated and carboxylated acid mucopolysaccharides and sulfated and carboxylated sialomucins (glycoproteins). It is believed to form salt linkages with the acid groups of acid mucopolysaccharides.

What is Alcian blue technique?

Standard alcian blue technique. Alcian blue is a large conjugated dye molecule that initially was used for the dyeing of textile fibers. … This accounts for the staining of the proteoglycan/hyaluronic acid components of connective tissue and cartilage with alcian blue at a pH of 2.5.

Is Alcian Blue a basophilic stain?

A new basophil staining method is described that employs alcian blue dye for staining of heparin within basophils at low pH and in the presence of lanthanum ions. Basophil recognition is facilitated by reducing nonspecific nuclear staining.

Is Alcian blue acidic or basic?

Alcian blue is a copper phthalocyanin basic dye that is water soluable and colored blue because of its copper content. It has an affinity for acidic tissue elements like mucin.

Does Alcian blue stain cartilage?

Alcian blue and Alizarin red stain cartilage and bone, respectively. As a cationic dye, Alcian blue binds strongly to sulfated GAGs and glycoproteins, while Alizarin red, an anionic dye, binds to cationic metals such as calcium [1].

Is Alcian Blue toxic?

May cause irritation to the respiratory tract. Large oral doses may cause irritation to the gastrointestinal tract. May cause irritation to the skin. May cause irritation to the eyes.

Does Alcian blue stain goblet cells?

Histologically, the epithelium must be metaplastic, as defined by the presence of goblet cells. An Alcian blue stain at pH 2.5 stains the acidic mucin present in the goblet cells.

What is Alcian Blue staining in histological sections of the gut?

The Alcian Blue stain is primarily used to stain for acid mucopolysaccharides. The alcian blue stain at a pH of 2.5 will stain for both sulfated (sulphomucins) and carboxylated (sialomucins) mucopolysaccharides which are found in the goblet cells located in the intestine.

What kind of mucins do Alcian blue and PAS stain?

The Alcian blue at a pH of 2.5 will stain all acid mucins deep blue but will not color the neutral mucins. The subsequent application of the PAS technique will stain the neutral mucins bright magenta.

How do you make Alcian blue solution?

Dissolve 1 gm of alcian blue in 90mls of distilled water and 10mls of 1N hydrochloric acid. 3. Alcian blue pH 0.2: Dissolve 1 gm alcian blue in 100mls of 10% sulphuric acid.

Is oil a red?

Oil Red O is a fat-soluble dye that stains neutral triglycerides and lipids. It cannot be used with formaldehyde-fixed paraffin embedded sections as the alcohols used remove most lipids. … Staining Interpretation.

Fat Cells Red
Neutral Fat Red
Nuclei Blue

How do you pronounce Alcian?

How do you stain basophils?

Eosinophils (basic components that like acids) are dyed red by the acid stain, eosin. Basophils (acid that like base components) are dyed blue by the basic stain, hematoxylin.

What is periodic acid used for?

Periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) is a staining method used to detect polysaccharides such as glycogen, and mucosubstances such as glycoproteins, glycolipids and mucins in tissues.

What stains mucin?

There are a variety of stains for mucin: Colloidal iron (AMP) – Iron particles are stabilized in ammonia and glycerin and are attracted to acid mucopolysaccharides. It requires formalin fixation. Phospholipids and free nucleic acids may also stain.

What does warthin Starry stain?

Warthin – Starry stain is a stain based on silver nitrate used in histology. This type of stain is commonly called silver staining. Warthin – Starry stain is used for the visualization of spirochetes but also for the detection of Helicobacter pylori and microsperediates.

What is Musin?

Mucins (/ˈmjuːsɪn/) are a family of high molecular weight, heavily glycosylated proteins (glycoconjugates) produced by epithelial tissues in most animals. … Some mucins are associated with controlling mineralization, including nacre formation in mollusks, calcification in echinoderms and bone formation in vertebrates.

Which tissue types are commonly stained with Alcian blue?

1) Alcian Blue

Tissue type Composition Alcian blue 2.5
Goblet cells Acid mucins – Simple Positive
Tissue Stroma Acid mucins – Simple Positive
Adenocarcinomas Acid mucins – Complex Negative
Cartilage, Bone Acid mucins – Complex Negative

What does Sirius red stain?

Sirius Red F 3B (Direct Red 80) is an azo dye primarily used in staining methods for collagen and amyloid. It has the molecular formula C45H26N10Na6O21S6. … Collagen fibers in red. Muscular fibers in yellow.

What stains cartilage blue?

Alizarin red/alcian blue staining of a newborn skeleton. Ossified tissue (predominantly bone) stains red and cartilage stains blue. The soft tissues are cleared in an alkaline solution and glycerol.

Which dye stains reticular fibers black?

Foots Silver: This is a modification of Bielschowsky’s silver method. The thin collagen or reticular fibers stain black, other tissues remain pale. Azocarmine is frequently used as a counter-stain to color the cells and collagenous tissue red.

What is Safranin O staining?

Safranin-O, also known as basic red 2, is a biological stain used in histology and cytology. Safranin is used as a counterstain in some staining protocols, colouring all cell nuclei red. It can also be used for the detection of cartilage, mucin and mast cell granules.

Why are goblet cells blue?

Millipore filters were used to obtain sheets of cells from the ocular surface. Using Periodic Acid Schiff-haematoxylin the intracellular neutral mucus of the goblet cells stains a brilliant, bright pink and the cell nuclei dark blue making it possible to observe the epithelial cells and the goblet cell population.

Do PAS stain goblet?

The AB-PAS staining technique is a dual-purpose method for detecting goblet cells, and it stains both neutral and acidic mucins (Spicer, 1960). … Both the mucicarmine and AB-PAS technique are specific for the mucins of epithelial origin. Mucicarmine is a very simple technique for the assessment of goblet cells.

Which stain Colours mucopolysaccharides basement membranes magenta and nuclei blue?

Summary of Common Stains in Ocular Pathology

Stains Colors
H&E Blue: nucleus Red/pink: cytoplasm
PAS Magenta: basement membrane glycogen and proteoglycans
Alcian Blue Blue: acid mucopolysaccharides
Colloidal Iron Blue: acid mucopolysaccharides Red/purple: collagen

How does Perls Prussian blue stain work?

In Perls’ Prussian or Berlin blue reaction (Max Perls, 1843–81), the section is treated with dilute hydrochloric acid to release ferric ions from binding proteins. These ions will react with potassium ferrocyanide to produce an insoluble blue compound.

How does the PAS stain work?

PRINCIPLE: The PAS stain is a histochemical reaction in that the periodic acid oxidizes the carbon to carbon bond forming aldehydes which react to the fuchsin-sulfurous acid which form the magenta color. … Use skin, aorta or normal liver for positive PAS staining.