Basic histological staining methods (preview) - Human Histology | Kenhub

In order to be able to look at tissues under a microscope, we need to first stain them with the right technique. Learn the main staining techniques used in histology today on our full video: https://khub.me/aux9w

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As you probably know, histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues. So we use staining methods to visualize and distinguish the different parts of cells and tissues since cells and their structures are usually transparent or colorless. The types of dyes used to color cells and their components can either be specific to particular structures, chemical groups or even molecules, and it can also be non-specific in which case most of the cell is stained in the same way.

When staining tissue samples, dyes that are used are either acidic or basic or a combination of the two. And why is that, you might be asking. Well, cellular structures such as nucleic acids or proteins have charged groups which are known as phosphate groups or carboxyl groups, just to name a couple. The dyes used in histology are colored organic compounds which also have a charge. Acidic dyes carry a negative charge and so they bind to positively-charged cell structures.

In the full version of this tutorial, we will cover some of the most common types of dyes used in histological staining of cells and their structures:
- basic dyes vs acidic dyes vs neutral dyes;
- hematoxylin and eosin;
- PAS - staining;
- Golgi method;
- Toluidine blue;
- Masson's trichrome;
- Osmium tetroxide;

To master this topic, click on the link and carry on watching the full video (available to Premium members): https://khub.me/aux9w !

Want to test your knowledge on the different types of cells and tissues? Take this quiz: https://khub.me/3g19f

Read more on how to interpret different histological sections on this complete article which goes through the different stains used in histology https://khub.me/saimh

For more engaging video tutorials, interactive quizzes, articles and an atlas of Human anatomy and histology, go to https://khub.me/pkvz2