Several stains are used to highlight various tissue components:
- Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E): The most common stain, hematoxylin stains cell nuclei blue, while eosin stains cytoplasm and extracellular matrix pink. - Masson's Trichrome: Differentiates among collagen, muscle, and cytoplasm. - Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS): Highlights polysaccharides such as glycogen. - Immunohistochemistry (IHC): Uses antibodies to detect specific proteins within tissue sections.
