Alcian Blue Periodic Acid Schiff with and without Hyaluronidase

Formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue block or cell block, or 1 unstained charged slide for each test requested plus 3-4 additional unstained slides cut at 4 microns. Adequate space on each slide for control tissue is required.

At pH 2.5, Alcian Blue stains sulfated and carboxylated acid mucopolysaccharides and sialomucins (glycoproteins) and is helpful in the diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus and in the identification of mucin secreting adenocarcinomas. The addition of hyaluronidase prior to the stain will further differentiate what types of mucosubstances are present in tissue. Digested and undigested sections are tested in parallel and compared to demonstrate the present of hyaluronic acid, chondroitin 4-sulfate, and chondroitin 6-sulfate in tissue.