Specific staining of tissue components with metal-hematoxylin complexes.

The older metal-hematoxylin stains stain a broad spectrum of tissue components. Several recently introduced metal-hematoxylin stains are highly selective. This selectivity is usually bought at the price of severe limitations on the choice of fixative. A very dilute (2 x 10(-4)M) aluminum hematoxylin is selective for nucleic acids in tissues fixed in organic solvents alone. Vanadate hematoxylin is selective for basic proteins in tissues fixed in formaldehyde or mercuric salts. Bismuth hematoxylin is selective for arginine residues and thus for histones and myelin basic protein in tissues fixed in strong acids (Bouin's fluid or SUSA fluid). Zirconyl hematoxylin is selective for acidic mucins. Zirconyl hematoxylin does not restrict the choice of fixative.