What does Alcian blue stain for?
What does Alcian blue stain for?
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.
When is alcian blue used?
The alcian blue stain is most commonly used on tissue samples obtained from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and is useful in diagnosing pathological processes such as Barrett’s esophagus. Using alcian blue solutions of varying pH (1.0 and 2.5) also helps differentiate various types of acid mucosubstances.
What tissues does Alcian blue stain?
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 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. It is comprised of a central copper-containing pthalocyanine ring linked to four isothiouronium groups via thioether bonds (Scott et al 1964).
Is the Alcian blue stain harmful to the skin?
The solution of Alcian blue is a skin sensitiser and corrosive (partly due to the acidic pH needed to maintain it unhydrolyzed in solution) and harmful by skin absorption. Most vendor MSDS (Material safety datasheet) mention that effect of ingestion not known or target organ not known.
Can a neutral mucin be stained with alcian blue?
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. Tissues or cells that contain both neutral and acidic mucins may demonstrate a dark blue or purple coloration (Figure 4).
What kind of cancer does Alcian blue have?
Mucinous tumors, myxedema (dermal mucin), myxoma (mucoid matrix), nodular mucinosis (breast, other) and Paget disease of scrotum Lipids / lipid entities (lipoma, liposarcoma), Paget disease of esophagus, squamous cell carcinoma (acantholytic variant-breast & other sites, pseudoglandular variant-penis & other sites), xanthelasma
What’s the difference between Alcian yellow and Alcian blue?
Alcian yellow is an azo dye having neither a phthalocyanine ring nor any of the colors of the Kingfisher, but in common with Alcian blue, has hydrolyzable charged thiouronium side-chains and similar stability of the final stained product.