Natural Alternatives to Chemical Staining in Routine Histopathology - A Narrative Review
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Date
2024-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kairali Society of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathologists
Abstract
Introduction: Histopathology is the study of diseases accomplished by fixing tissue onto a glass plate using dyes or stains under a microscope. The commonly used dyes in routine histopathology are Hematoxylin and Eosin (H and E) stain, Gram stain, silver nitrate, Mason’s trichrome stain, Periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) stain, etc. However, one major drawback of these stains are toxicity due to chemicals used. Objectives: The present article reviews the various natural stains that can be used as an alternative to the routinely used stains. Materials and Methods: Data was collected by electronic search of databases including PubMed and Google Scholar for “natural stains”, “natural staining” and “natural stains AND histopathology”. Results: Routinely used stains demonstrate excellent tissue coloring capacity. However, the major drawbacks of routine stains and dyes include use of chemical ingredients, high cost, and some extent of tissue damage. These issues can be resolved by using natural substitutes like turmeric, ginger, henna, beetroot, wood dust etc. Over the past few years, interest in natural options to chemical dyes has grown. Conclusion: This article has highlighted major natural staining alternatives with their advantages and disadvantages along with their efficacy in staining routine histopathological tissue specimens
Description
Keywords
Histopathology, Staining, Dyes, H and E Stain, Hematoxylin, Eosin, Turmeric, Ginger, Natural, Histology, Pathology.
Citation
Mulla SA, Ansari A, Shrivastava S, Bhattacharjee M, Panchmahalkar A. Natural Alternatives to Chemical Staining in Routine Histopathology - A Narrative Review. Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Journal. 2024 Jan; 15(1): 99-104