Abreu Velez AM, Upegui Zapata YA, Howard MS. Periodic Acid-Schiff Staining Parallels the Immunoreactivity Seen By Direct Immunofluorescence in Autoimmune Skin Diseases. N Am J Med Sci. 2016 Mar;8(3):151-5. doi: 10.4103/1947-2714.179132. PMID: 27114972; PMCID: PMC4821094.
Fu, D. A., & Campbell-Thompson, M. (2017). Periodic Acid-Schiff Staining with Diastase. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 1639, 145–149. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7163-3_14
https://www.leicabiosystems.com/us/knowledge-pathway/special-stain-techniques-for-the-evaluation-of-mucins/
When doing PAS staining, it is recommended that you work under a hood, wearing goggles, gloves, and a lab coat. If any chemicals come into contact with your clothes, immediately get rid of them and change. Avoid inhaling the chemicals, and make sure to wash hands after handling. Chemicals used in these stains can cause serious eye, respiratory, and skin irritation, as well as being potentially carcinogenic.
Sigma Aldrich Safety Data Sheet (PAS)
Red or purple or pink:
Anything with 1-2 glycols (glycogen, carbohydrates, different types of fibers, etc.)
Blue or green:
Nuclei
Mokobi, F. (2022). Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) Staining. https://microbenotes.com/periodic-acid-schiff-pas-staining/#:~:text=Results%20and%20Interpretation%20*%20Glycogen%2C%20mucin%2C%20elastic,dye%20used.%20*%20The%20background%20stains%20blue.
StainsFile. (n.d.) Periodic Acid Schiff Reaction. https://www.stainsfile.com/protocols/periodic-acid-schiff-reaction/
Moran CORE Clinical Opthamology Resource for Education. (n.d.) Stains and Processing. https://morancore.utah.edu/section-04-ophthalmic-pathology/stains-and-processing/
Sayar, Ersin & Kalay, Salih & Yilmaz, Aygen & Oztekin, Osman & Islek, Ali & Elpek, Gülsüm & Kalay, Zuhal & Tezel, Gonul & Artan, Reha. (2014). Microvillus Inclusion Disease Associated with Necrotizing Enterocolitis in a Premature Infant. AJP reports. 4. e61-e64. 10.1055/s-0034-1370353.
Robinson, Liam & Sengoatsi, · & van Heerden, Willie. (2021). Concomitant Congenital Intraoral Dermoid Cyst and Heterotopic Gastrointestinal Cyst. Head and Neck Pathology. 15. 10.1007/s12105-020-01160-0.
Madrazo-Ibarra A, Vaitla P. Histology, Nephron. [Updated 2023 Feb 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. [Figure, Normal Glomerulus, Periodic Acid-Schiff Stain...]Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554411/figure/article-25707.image.f2/