Connective & Muscle Tissue Stains Flashcards
Identify the 3 connective tissue fibers.
Collagen, Elastic, & Reticulum
Describe collagen fibers.
○ Provide strength
○ Dense, regular arrangement of collagen fibers is sound in tendons, organ capsules, and the dermis
○ 27 different types
Type I - most common in humans, found in fibrous supporting tissue, the dermis of skin, tendons, ligaments, and bone
○ Very eosinphilic
○ May be differentiated from smooth muscle using Masson & Gomori trichrome and VVG
Describe elastic fibers.
○ Present in most fibrous connective tissue
○ Most abundant in tissue requiring flexibility, all tissue to stretch
○ Usually cannot be seen on H&E, require Verhoeff iron hematoxylin, Weigert resorcin fuchsin, orcein, or Gomori aldehyde fuchsin stains for demonstration
Describe reticulum fibers.
○ Type III collagen
○ Form a delicate supporting network for many highly cellular organs (endocrine glands, lymph nodes, and liver)
○ Not apparent in ordinary H&E stains but can be demonstrated with an argyrophilic reaction (they have the ability to absorb silver from solution)
Identify the 3 muscle fibers.
Skeletal, Cardiac, & Smooth
Describe Skeletal muscle fiber.
○ Classified as striated (characteristic dark [A] and light [I] bands seen microscopically) and voluntary
○ Fibers may be quite long and contain multiple peripherally located nuclei
○ Actin and myosin are the major contractile proteins, the arrangement of these 2 imparts the striated appearance in longitudinal sections
○ Phosphotungstic acid-hematoxylin (PTAH) method of Mallory was used to demonstrate these cross-striations, but today monoclonal antibodies are used with IHC to demonstrate these pathologic skeletal muscle components
Describe Cardiac muscle fiber.
○ Striated by involuntary
○ Cells branch and anastomose, and each cell usually has only 1 centrally located nucleus
○ Cardiac muscle cells anastomose with specialized intercellular junctions called intercalated discs
Describe Smooth muscle fiber.
○ Nonstriated and involuntary
○ Commonly arranged in layers
○ Fibers are long and tapered and contain a single centrally located nucleus
○ Actin and myosin are present but in different ratio than smooth muscle and are organized very differently
○ Regulates luminal size in hollow organs and tubular structures
Identify 5 connective tissue cells.
Fibroblasts cells, Mesenchymal cells, Adipose cells (fat), Mast cells, Macrophages cells, Plasma cells, & Blood cells
Describe Fibroblast cells.
○ Most common cell in connective tissue
○ Produce the connective tissue fibers
○ The cells themselves are not usually of interest, but their product
Describe Mesenchymal cells.
○ May be indistinguishable from fibroblasts
○ Primitive
○ May develop into various differentiated cell types
Describe Adipose cells (fat)
○ Synthesize and store lipid
○ Common in most loose connective tissue
○ Nucleus becomes very flattened as the lipid accumulation of the cell grows
○ Very long-lived cells, even as the lipid reserve depletes, the cells remain
○ Not preserved in paraffin sections but can be demonstrated in frozen sections
Describe Mast cells.
○ Contain abundant secretory granules that frequently obscure the nucleus
○ Granules contain histamine and heparin and exhibit metachromasia when stained with toluidine blue
○ Most prominent along small blood vessels, and they closely resemble the basophilic leukocyte found in blood
Describe Macrophage cells.
○ “big eaters” or scavenger cells
○ Precursors are monocytes (blood leukocytes) or histiocytes
○ Play an important role in immune mechanisms, processing antigenic material for presentation to the lymphocytes
Describe Plasma cells.
Derived from B lymphocytes and produce immunoglobulins
What cells or fibers are demonstrated by the Mason trichrome stain?
○ Differentiates collagen from smooth muscle in tumors
○ Identify increases in collagenous tissue in diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver
○ Aids in the assessment of fibrosis
What cells or fibers are demonstrated by the Mason trichrome stain?
Differentiates between collagen (blue stain) and smooth muscle (red/pink) in tumors and identify increases in collagenous tissue in diseases such as cirrhosis.
QC with: any tissue will have internal controls (blood vessels - smooth muscle). If desired you can use uterus, small intestine, appendix, fallopian tube.
What cells or fibers are demonstrated by the Gomori 1 step trichrome stain?
What cells or fibers are demonstrated by the Van Gieson stain?
What cells or fibers are demonstrated by the Verhoeff elastic stain?
What cells or fibers are demonstrated by the Gomori aldehyde fuchsin?
What cells or fibers are demonstrated by the Russell modification of the Movat pentachrome stain?
What cells or fibers are demonstrated by the Gomori silver impregnation stain?
What cells or fibers are demonstrated by the Gordon & Sweets silver impregnation satin?
