A new staining method using a hematoxylin, alcian blue and periodic acid-Schiff reaction for demonstrating mucins in gastric glands.

Mucous neck cells in the rat stomach which contain neutral mucin were stained with a modified Mayer's hemalum. When alcian blue staining and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reaction preceded hematoxylin staining, mucin-containing fundic gland cells could be distinguished in the same tissue sections: surface mucous cells were positive for PAS reaction and/or alcian blue staining, neutral mucin-containing mucous neck cells were stained with hematoxylin, and acidic mucin-containing mucous neck cells were stained with alcian blue. This alcian blue-PAS-hematoxylin staining sequence represents a useful differential staining method for mucins in the gastric mucosa.