What is the Procedure of Methenamine Silver Staining?

The process of methenamine silver staining involves several steps:

Fixation: Tissue samples are fixed using formalin to preserve their structure.
Deparaffinization and Hydration: Paraffin-embedded tissue sections are deparaffinized and hydrated through a series of alcohols.
Oxidation: The sections are treated with an oxidizing agent like periodic acid to generate aldehyde groups.
Silver Impregnation: The sections are then incubated in methenamine silver solution, where silver ions bind to the aldehyde groups.
Reduction: A reducing agent, typically formalin, is used to reduce silver ions to metallic silver, forming black deposits.
Counterstaining: The sections may be counterstained with a light background stain, such as hematoxylin, to enhance contrast.
Dehydration and Mounting: Finally, the sections are dehydrated, cleared, and mounted for microscopic examination.