Question
Which of the following combinations is correct regarding these stains?
| A. |
Perl’s Prussian blue – iron red
|
| B. |
Alizarin and S – calcium, black
|
| C. |
Van Gieson – Elastin blue
|
| D. |
Giemsa – Mast cells, purple
|
Show Answer
|
Correct Answer � D
Explanation
|
|
– Giemsa stain is widely used in hematology & histology.
– It stains mast cell granules purple/violet due to their metachromatic heparin granules.
– Also stains blood smears: nuclei dark blue/violet, cytoplasm pale blue.
Histological Stains and Their Targets
| Stain |
Target |
Color |
| Giemsa |
Mast cell granules |
Purple (metachromatic) |
| Perl’s Prussian Blue |
Iron (ferric, Fe³⁺) |
Blue |
| Alizarin Red S |
Calcium |
Red/orange |
| Von Kossa |
Calcium (via phosphate) |
Black (silver method) |
| Van Gieson |
Collagen |
Red |
| |
Muscle, cytoplasm |
Yellow |
| Verhoeff-Van Gieson |
Elastin |
Black |
| Sudan Black |
Lipids |
Black |
| Oil Red O |
Lipids (in frozen sections) |
Red |
| Congo Red |
Amyloid |
Red (apple green birefringence under polarized light) |
| PAS (Periodic acid-Schiff) |
Glycogen, basement membranes |
Magenta |
| Silver stain |
Reticulin (type III collagen) |
Black |
