Modification of Movat Pentachrome Stain with Improved Reliability of Elastin Staining

AbstractThe authors describe a modification of Movat pentachrome stain for the demonstration of elastin, sulfated macromolecules (proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans and secreted mucins), collagens, myofibrils, and erythrocytes. The key modification is the use of a modified Verhoeff elastic tissue stain, which is more tolerant of minor variations in technique and does not require differentiation to a subjective endpoint. The resulting stained sections have a clear background and crisply defined cell and matrix components including both large and small elastic fibers. This stain is particularly useful for evaluating the matrix components of lung and vascular tissue in normal and diseased states. (The J Histotechnol 19:325–327, 1996)Keywords: alcian bluecollagenelastinproteoglycanVerhoeff elastic stain