Faculty/Retired
University of Minnesota
Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development
6-160 Jackson Hall
321 Church St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Robert L. Sorenson, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
University of Minnesota
Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development
6-160 Jackson Hall
321 Church St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Each slide is shown with additional information to its right. The image can be changed using any combination of the following commands.
Sidebar
Click on links to move to a specific region.
Click on images to show that view.
Use the toolbar to change the magnification and pan the displayed image.
Mouse
Click to zoom-in
Double-click to zoom-out
Alt-click to zoom-out
Alt-double-click to zoom-out to the entire slide
Drag the image to pan
Keyboard
Shift or ‘A’ key to zoom-in
Ctrl or ‘Z’ Key to zoom-out
Arrow Keys to pan across the image
ESC key to zoom-out to the entire slide
Touch
Tap to zoom-in
Double-tap to zoom-out
Alt-tap to zoom-out to the entire slide
Drag the image to pan
SHARE
A link to a virtual slide can be saved for later viewing in different ways.
Clipboard
The address of this view has been copied to your clipboard. This link can be pasted in any other program.
Bookmark
A bookmark link can be created using the bookmark function (Ctrl-D for Windows or Cmd-D for Mac) of your browser. Choose a name for the bookmark and select the folder in which you want it saved.
Email
This view can be sent by to anyone.
MHS 268-269-270 Pancreas
Click the thumbnail to show a tissue section of pancreas stained with hematoxylin.
Hematoxylin and eosin (or H&E) are the most widely used dyes in histology. They stain many components found in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and extracellular matrix.
Hematoxylin
Hematoxylin is a positively charged, blue dye complex that stains components of cells and tissues that are negatively charged.
Phosphate groups of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA)
Sulfate groups of some extracellular polysaccharides (glycosaminoglycans) and proteins (mucus)
Tissue components that stain with basic dyes are referred to as basophilic structures.
The overall blue color shows a general staining of this specimen with hematoxylin.
At (click this link or the above image), structures with a range of staining intensities become evident.
Nuclei are intensely stained
Cytoplasm of cells are lightly stained
The cells that surround the duct are much larger than the duct cells.
Other examples:
Click the thumbnail to show a tissue section of pancreas stained with eosin.
Eosin
Eosin is a negatively charged, pink dye that stains components of cells and tissues that are positively charged.
Amino groups in proteins (mostly side chains of lysine and arginine)
Tissue components that stain with acid dyes are referred to as acidophilic (or eosinophilic) structures.
The overall pink color shows a general staining of this specimen with eosin.
At (click this link or the above image), the range of staining intensities of structures is much less than with hematoxylin. Granules are seen in the cytoplasm of most cells.
Nuclei are lightly stained
Cytoplasm of most cells is intensely stained
The cells that surround the duct are much larger than the duct cells.
Other examples:
Click the thumbnail to show a tissue section of pancreas stained with hematoxylin and eosin.
Hematoxylin & Eosin
Staining with the combination of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) reveals even more cellular structures than either dye used alone.
At (click this link or the above image), the nuclei and cytoplasm of individual cells are easily identified. This reflects the complementary binding affinities of these dyes for many cellular components. Nuclei appear dark blue/purple, white the cytoplasm is pink/red.
These structures are described as:
Basophilic - structures stained blue by hematoxylin
Acidophilic (or Eosinophilic) - structures stained pink by eosin
The cells that surround the duct are much larger than the duct cells.
Hydrophobic structures (such as those rich in fats) do not stain well with H&E.
