Histochemistry as a versatile research toolkit in biological research, not only an applied discipline in pathology

Abstract

The impressive progress of histochemistry over the last 50 years has led to setting up specific and sensitive techniques to describe dynamic events, through the detection of specific molecules in the very place where they exist in live cells. The scientific field where histochemistry has most largely been applied is histopathology, with the aim to identify disease-specific molecular markers or to elucidate the etiopathological mechanisms. Numerous authors did however apply histochemistry to a variety of other research fields; their interests range from the microanatomy of animal and plant organisms to the cellular mechanisms of life. This is especially apparent browsing the contents of the histochemical journals where the articles on subjects other than pathology are the majority; these journals still keep a pivotal role in the field of cell and tissue biology, while being a forum for a diverse range of biologists whose scientific interests expand the research horizon of histochemistry to ever novel subjects. Thus, histochemistry can always receive inspiring stimuli toward a continuous methodological refinement.

Central nervous system autopsy — a neuropathological procedure based on multidisciplinary pathoclinical cooperation

“…Histochemical staining enables the identification and location of tissue and cellular components (proteins, enzymes, carbohydrates, microorganisms) based on their chemical structure [44]. The most commonly used techniques for neuron evaluation are cresyl violet stain and silver impregnation methods such as Bielschowsky or Bodian stains.…”

Histochemistry for nucleic acid research: 60 years in the European Journal of Histochemistry

“…Among them, histochemistry has been holding a pivotal role, being able to provide important data alongside precise localization at the microscopy level. 5 , 6 Features of DNA typical of specific diseases are studied in histopathology: 7 , 8 for example, an increased amount of condensed chromatin has been found in myonuclei of aged type- II fibres by Malatesta and colleagues. 9 Alongside data reflecting a given moment, chromatin condition has been analysed to study changes over time: Fraschini and Biggiogera studied chromatin organization during the sperm maturation processes in the mouse epididymis, showing the presence of basic knobby fibres, and in the vas deferens, where thicker fibres could be seen in addition to the knobby ones.…”

Twenty years of histochemistry in the third millennium, browsing the scientific literature

“…This confirms that during these years, histochemistry has even increased its impact on the scientific literature, especially in the biological and medical fields. 3 …”