ANAT2241 Blood

ANAT2241 This practical support page content is not part of the virtual science practical class and provides additional information for student self-directed learning purposes. All practical class pages are located on Moodle - ANAT2241

Introduction

The circulating blood is a liquid connective tissue consisting of cells (red and white blood cells), fragments of cells (platelets) and liquid (plasma). The different cell types are all derived from haemopoietic stem cells located in the bone marrow. Red blood cells (RBCs) have a metabolic role, in carrying oxygen to tissues and carbon dioxide to the lungs. White blood cells (WBCs or leukocytes) have a role in the body’s defence, and are an important clinical indicator of disease.

Virtual Slide Box: 1. Human Blood Smear Slide

Find an area in the smear where the red blood cells are spread out and individual cells can be identified.

Identify:

Red blood cells (7-8 um diameter anucleate biconcave disc)
White blood cells: neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes and monocytes (basophils are normally rare).

Note the presence or absence of granules, shape of the nucleus and relative cell sizes. Also identify platelets.

Virtual Slide Box: 2. Bone Marrow Smear Slide

Do not attempt to identify all the cells in the bone marrow smear, but compare its appearance with that of the blood smear.
Haematopoiesis (hematopoiesis) is the process of blood cell differentiation and occurs mainly in the bone marrow.
This bone marrow smear will contain a large number of differentiating blood cells: band cells and normoblasts.
The largest cells visible are megakaryocytes, which are responsible for platelet production.

Lymphocyte differentiation begins in the bone marrow and continues in central lymphoid organs (bone marrow - B cells and thymus - T cells), then in the peripheral lymphoid organs (lymph nodes, spleen).

Blood Histology

Lymphocyte
Lymphocyte
Monocyte
Neutrophil
Neutrophil and Eosinophil
Bone Marrow

Course Links

Moodle - ANAT2241 - 2019

Histology Glossary: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ANAT2241 Support | Histology | Histology Stains | Embryology Glossary

Common Histology Stains

Histology Stains - Common Stains and Their Reactions
Stain	Nucleus	Cytoplasm	Collagen	RBCs	Other
Haematoxylin	blue	-	-	-	mucins - light blue
Eosin	-	pink	pale pink	bright red	colloid - pinkmuscle - red
Iron Haematoxylin	blue/black	-	-	-
Van Gieson	-	brown/yellow	red	yellow	muscle: yellow/browncartilage - pink
Verhoeff's Elastin	black	-	-	-	elastic fibres - black
Tartrazine	-	yellow	yellow	yellow
Silver Impregnation	-	-	grey/brown	-	reticular fibres - black
Methyl Green	dark green	light green	light green	green
Nuclear Fast Red	red	pink	pink	pink
Gomori's Trichrome	purple/red	purple	green	red	keratin - redmuscle - purple/red
Heidenhain's Azan	red	purple/red	deep blue	red	muscle - red
Osmium Tetroxide	-	-	brown	brown	myelin, lipids - black
Alcian Blue	-	-	-	-	mucins, - blue
Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)	-	-	pink	-	mucins, glycogen, glycocalyx - magenta
Phosphotungstic Acid-Hematoxylin (PTAH)	blue	-	red	blue	muscle bands - blue
Masson's Trichrome	blue/black	red	green/blue	red	cartilage, mucins - blue or green; muscle - red
Luxol Fast Blue	-	-	-	variable	myelin - blue
Aldehyde Fuchsin	-	-	-	-	elastic fibres, mast cells - deep purple
Light Green	-	-	light green	-
Gallocyanin	dark blue	-	-	-	nucleic acids, Nissl granules - dark blue
Romanowsky (e.g. Leishman's)	blue	pink			acidophils - red, basophils - blue, azurophilic - purple
Aldehyde Pararosanilin					elastic fibres - purple

Haematoxylin and Eosin
One of the most common staining techniques in pathology and histology. Acronym "H and E" stain. (H&E, HE).
Haematoxylin Stains nuclei blue to dark-blue. Stains the matrix of hyaline cartilage, myxomatous, and mucoid material pale blue. Stains myelin weakly but is not noticeable if combined with eosin stain. combined with Orange G (H & Or. G.) instead of eosin, specifically stains the granules of acidophilic cells of the adenohypophysis (anterior pituitary).	Eosin Stains cytoplasm pink to red; red blood cells are also bright red. Common counterstain to hematoxylin. Stain intensity varies with the formula as well as the fixative.

Practical Support

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ANAT2241 This practical support page content is not part of the science practical class and provides only background information for student self-directed learning purposes.

Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, April 19) Embryology ANAT2241 Blood. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/ANAT2241_Blood

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