If you study the structure and function of cells, tissues, or organs, your research will likely involve histology.
We have compiled helpful tips, tricks, and how-to guides written by researchers with hands-on experience in histology basics to help you get started or improve your histology skills.
We take you through the various stages of sample prep and the must-have items to get the job done, and provide insight into the various stains for histology and when to use them.
Histology Basics
How to Get Started with Histology Basics
If you’re new to the world of histology, or still getting up to speed, you’ve come to the right place. In this section, we’ll give you the knowledge to help get you on your way to producing fantastic histology results.
Here, you’ll discover the history of histology, learn the pitfalls to avoid when performing your experiments, and even learn about the simple pleasures histology can provide.
A (very) Short History of Histology
Discover the history of histology, from the first mention of a cell in 1665 to the identification and development of various stains.
Avoid These Pitfalls: Seven (Not So Deadly) Histology Sins
Discover seven common histology mistakes and how you can avoid making them when performing your experiments.
Getting Started with Immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry isn’t just a useful clinical tool, it also has great applications as a basic research tool. We’ll walk you through the immunohistochemistry basics to get you off to a flying start.
How Histology Slides are Prepared
Ever wondered what magic happens to turn your samples into histology slides? Find out the 5 simple steps for histology slide preparation.
Five Tiny Histology Pleasures
Histology offers some simple yet fulfilling moments. Find out our top 5 simple histology pleasures and see if you agree!
Sample Prep
How to Prepare Your Histology Tissue Samples
Histology tissue sample preparation involves multiple critical steps, from fixing and embedding to sectioning. Getting your sample preparation right is key to success with histology.
Here we show you the different sample preparation techniques you can use, and top tips and tricks for becoming a master.
Tissue Processing For Histology: What Exactly Happens?
Tissue processing for histology is a key step between fixation and embedding. We take you through the steps of tissue processing in this simple guide.
An Introduction To Fixation For Histology: Think Before You Fix!
How you fix your tissue or cells can affect your results, for better or for worse. Discover the key points to think about before undertaking your histology fixation.
Can You Stand the Cold? Cryosectioning for Beginners
Cryosectioning is difficult when your tissues melt, fold, curl, wrinkle, tear, or crack. Learn how to troubleshoot these pesky cryosectioning problems.
Alternatives to Paraffin: Cryo and Resin Embedding for Histology
Looking for paraffin alternatives for tissue embedding? Find out the benefits of cryo and resin tissue embedding and how they work.
Histology Fixatives: What Do They Actually Do To Your Samples?
Do you know what your histology fixatives are really doing to your samples? Read on to learn what happens to tissue treated with two common fixatives.
Troubleshooting
Helpful Hints for When Histology Goes Wrong
Whether you’re just beginning your journey or you’re a histology master, sometimes things just go wrong.
If you find yourself with problems during sample prep or your stainings don't look right, don’t panic! Our troubleshooting articles will help you figure out what’s gone wrong with your histology and tell you how to fix it. Even if you’re lucky enough to have never had a problem, our tips can help you keep that winning streak going.
Advanced Sectioning Techniques: How to Section Difficult Tissues
Are you having problems with tissue sectioning? Follow these 10 tissue sectioning tips to create the perfect tissue section every time without stressing out.
Troubleshooting Immunohistochemistry
If your immunohistochemistry is not working quite as expected, don’t fret. Check out this comprehensive guide to troubleshooting immunohistochemistry.
Histology Applied
Techniques and Tips for Specific Applications
Ready to be inspired? We’ve curated the top articles showcasing the various powerful and innovative ways histology can be used in research, from finding fungi to multiplexing your tissue probing.
Not only do these articles highlight the various ways you can use histology, they provide helpful hints to get you using these techniques in your lab.
Verhoeff-van Gieson Stain: A Special Histology Stain for Elastic Fibers
If you want to visualize elastic fibers in your sample, you need to use Verhoeff-van Gieson stain. Find out more about this stain, including how to use it.
Fluorescent Tyramides In Histology: A Versatile Approach For Multiplex Molecular Tissue Probing
Fluorescent tyramides offer exquisite sensitivity, are easy to use, and are versatile. Find out how to use them to brighten up your research.
Congo Red – A Special Stain For Alzheimer’s Disease
Discover interesting facts about Congo red and it can help us understand Alzheimer’s disease.
Acid Fast: A Histology Tool To Detect Bacteria and TB
Acid-fast stain (AF) is a special staining technique used in the histology lab. Discover which bacteria this stain detects, the history behind it, and how it works.
How To Find Fungi In Your Histology Samples- Go For GMS!
Gomori’s methenamine silver is a special histology stain for detecting fungi. Find out how and why you might want to use this stain in the lab.
Why Pick PAS for Histology?
Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) is a commonly used special stain in the histology lab. Find out more about what this stain detects and how to use it.
Most Recent
Stay up to Date with the Most Recent Histology Articles
5 Controls for Immunofluorescence: A Beginner’s Guide
Achieving publication-quality immunofluorescence images is tricky. Learn what controls for immunofluorescence you can use to get them!
Scanning Electron Microscopy: 6 SEM Sample Preparation Pointers for Successful Imaging
Discover 6 critical scanning electron microscopy sample preparation points you need to know to get the best out of your SEM.
Tissue Processing For Histology: What Exactly Happens?
Tissue processing for histology is a key step between fixation and embedding. We take you through the steps of tissue processing in this simple guide.
An Introduction To Fixation For Histology: Think Before You Fix!
How you fix your tissue or cells can affect your results, for better or for worse. Discover the key points to think about before undertaking your histology fixation.
A (very) Short History of Histology
Discover the history of histology, from the first mention of a cell in 1665 to the identification and development of various stains.
Avoid These Pitfalls: Seven (Not So Deadly) Histology Sins
Discover seven common histology mistakes and how you can avoid making them when performing your experiments.
How Histology Slides are Prepared
Ever wondered what magic happens to turn your samples into histology slides? Find out the 5 simple steps for histology slide preparation.
New-ISH on the Block: Introduction to RNAscope®
RNAscope is a new method of quantitative RNA in situ-hybridization that has taken laboratories by storm. Learn advantages over traditional techniques and how RNAscope works in this introduction article.
Downloads
Choose the Correct Controls and Stains!
Picking the right stain for your histology applications is a minefield. There are a lot of stains—and a lot of tissues.
To simplify things, we've made a stunning poster that lists common and special histological stains, their colors, and the tissue they reveal.
And there's more. If your immunofluorescence experiments are giving you grief, we've got a poster for that too. It explains what controls you can implement, the exact species to use, and how to interpret the results.
So download our free tissue staining and immunofluorescence control posters, beautify your lab, and take your microscopy game to the next level!
Bitesize Bio’s Histological Stains Poster
Bitesize Bio’s Ultimate Immunofluorescence Troubleshooting Guide
Histology Stains
Common Histology Stains and How to Use Them
There are an overwhelming number of stains for histology. In this section, we provide details on some of the most commonly used stains, how and when to use them, and tips for getting your staining just right.
The A to Z of Histological Stains
From Alkaline phosphatase to Warthin-Starry, we take you through the various histology stains available.
Toluidine Blue – A Histology Stain for Mast Cells (and Other Things!)
Discover the magic of toluidine blue – a polychromatic dye that changes color depending on which tissue component it is staining.
Special Stains for Histology: An Introduction and Basic Overview
Get introduced to some of the special stains for histology and learn some top tips for getting great results.
Prussian Blue- A Histology Stain For Iron
Want to detect iron in your samples? You need Prussian blue! Discover the incredible sensitivity of this stain and how to use it.
Congo Red – A Special Stain For Alzheimer’s Disease
Discover interesting facts about Congo red and it can help us understand Alzheimer’s disease.
How To Find Fungi In Your Histology Samples- Go For GMS!
Gomori’s methenamine silver is a special histology stain for detecting fungi. Find out how and why you might want to use this stain in the lab.
Starry Starry Night? No, Warthin-Starry Stain!
Need to stain Gram-negative organisms? You should consider the Warthin-Starry stain.
Immunohistochemistry
Tips and Tricks for Performing Immunohistochemistry
Whether you’re wondering what immunohistochemistry is, how to get started with this powerful technique, or need some tips and tricks to improve your images, our articles can help.
Discover ways to unmask your antigen, block non-specific staining, and learn the key controls you need to properly interpret your results.
5 Controls for Immunofluorescence: A Beginner’s Guide
Achieving publication-quality immunofluorescence images is tricky. Learn what controls for immunofluorescence you can use to get them!
How to Obtain Stellar Staining with Fluorescent IHC
If you want the kind of fluorescent IHC images worth those extra color publication charges, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for tips and tricks to getting stellar IHC staining.
Polymers as Secondary Antibodies for Immunohistochemistry
Do you use biotinylated secondary antibodies in your immunohistochemistry? You could use polymers instead. They are a great time-saving reagent.
Immunohistochemistry: Getting The Stain You Want
Need a simple, error-proof protocol for using immunohistochemistry to stain your slides? Here’s a protocol to try – from dewaxing to mounting.
Counterstaining for Immunohistochemistry: Choices, Choices…
Counterstaining can have a big impact on your histology result. This short guide will introduce you to some available counterstains providing you with a few more choices.
Immunohistochemistry Basics: Blocking Non-Specific Staining
Achieving a good immunohistochemistry signal-to-noise ratio involves many factors, including a good blocking protocol. Read on to learn about blocking non-specific staining in IHC.
Antigen Retrieval Techniques For Immunohistochemistry: Unmask That Antigen!
Did you know fixation can mask antigen sites in your sample? Discover how you can unmask them and get your signal back on track!
Glossary
A–Z of Common Histology terms
Bovine serum albumin. A common blocking agent for immunohistochemistry experiments.
3,3-Diaminobenzidine. A chromogen commonly used in immunohistochemistry. It is derived from benzene that forms a brown precipitate when oxidized in a reaction catalyzed by HRP.
Formalin Fixed Paraffin is a method where tissues are fixed with formalin before being embedded in paraffin. The embedded tissue blocks are then sliced before use.
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization is a staining technique using fluorescent probes that bind only to specific DNA sequences. It is used to detect specific DNA sequences on chromosomes.
Hematoxylin and Eosin stain. This is a combination of two stains: hematoxylin – a basic, dark blue or purplish stain that colours cell nuclei – and eosin – an acidic red or pink stain that colours the extracellular matrix and cytoplasm.
Horseradish peroxidase. This enzyme catalyzes the conversion of chemiluminescent substrates, providing a visual way to detect cellular targets.
Immunohistochemistry. This technique uses antibodies to identify the presence of specific antigens in a tissue.
Periodic-Acid Schiff. A staining technique used to detect the presence of carbohydrates.
Paraformaldehyde. A commonly used fixative in histology.
Got a Question or a Suggestion?
Didn't find what you were looking for? Or perhaps you have some tips and tricks on histology basics that we haven't covered here? Get in touch and let us know so we can continue to improve the information we share!