Purpose of Use:
PAS-Alcian Blue technique is used to differentiate between acidic mucins as sialomucins, sulfomucin and neutral epithelial mucin. After staining, acidic mucins will be coloured blue, neutral in magenta and nuclei in deep blue. Mixtures of acidic and neutral mucins give blue/ purple colour.

Uses and sample preparation:
Slides should be deparaffinized through xylene or substitute and descending grades of alcohol to distilled water prior to staining.

Components:

• Schiff Reagent
• Periodic acid 0,5%
• Harris Hematoxylin
• Alcian Blue

Short procedure:

1. Place in Alcian Blue
2. Wash in running tap water and distilled water
3. Place in periodic acid 0.5%
4. Rinse with running tap water and distilled water
5. Apply Schiff’s Reagent
6. Rinse with running tap water and distilled water
7. Apply Hematoxylin
8. Rinse with tap water
9. Dehydrate with graded ethanol, clear and cover

Staining characteristics:
Acidic mucins can be coloured in blue, neutral in magenta and nuclei in deep blue. Mixtures of acidic and neutral mucins give blue/ purple color.