Tissue sample
5µ paraffin sections of neutral buffered formalin fixed tissue are suitable.
Other fixatives are likely to be satisfactory.
Method
- Bring sections to water via xylene and ethanol.
- Place in alkali blue solution for 5 minutes.
- Wash with water.
- Place in iron alum solution for 3 minutes.
- Wash with water.
- Rinse with ethanol.
- Rinse briefly with alcoholic potassium hydroxide to clear the background.
- Counterstain if wished.
- Dehydrate with ethanols.
- Clear with xylene and mount with a resinous medium.
Expected results
-
Elastic fibres – blue (blue-green after Van Gieson)
Erythrocytes – pale blue-green
Notes
- Neutral red, safranin, hemalum and eosin are suggested as counterstains.
- The alkali blue solution lasts for several weeks.
- This is an example of afterchrome mordanting.
Reference
Histological demonstration techniques, (1974))
Cook, H C.
Butterworths, London, England
Last updated November 2009.
