Pararosaniline Or Acriflavine-Schiff Staining of Epoxy Embedded Tissue After Periodic Acid Oxidation in Ethanol: A Method Suitable for Morphometric and Fluorometric Analysis of Glycogen

A method for preparing tissue sections for automatic image analysis of glycogen is described. Large semithin sections of epoxy embedded tissue fixed in glutaraldehyde-osmium were stained with Schiff reagent and acriflavine (fluorescent staining) after resin removal and periodic acid oxidation in ethanol. We found it essential to avoid tissue rehydration before final staining. The Schiff stain permits an assessment of the cellular volume of glycogen, and the acriflavine allows a fluorometric evaluation of glycogen density.