National Cancer Institute (source definition)
Periodic Acid Schiff Staining Method
This is an all-round useful stain for many things, including glycogen, mucin, mucoprotein, glycoprotein, as well as fungi. The reaction is based on the oxidation of glycol group to aldehydes by periodate. The schiff's reagent selectively stains the aldehydes to a rose pink color. PAS is useful for outlining tissue structures--basement membranes, capsules, blood vessels, etc.
Review and references
Automated source check (NCI definition)
2026-10-19
2026-10-19
professional use
What it is
This is an all-round useful stain for many things, including glycogen, mucin, mucoprotein, glycoprotein, as well as fungi. The reaction is based on the oxidation of glycol group to aldehydes by periodate. The schiff's reagent selectively stains the aldehydes to a rose pink color. PAS is useful for outlining tissue structures--basement membranes, capsules, blood vessels, etc.
Source: National Cancer Institute, NCI Thesaurus 26.09d, C23019. NCI definition, reproduced without modification under CC BY 4.0.
Source identity and definition checked automatically on 2026-10-18. No individual clinical interpretation or human reviewer is asserted.
Compliance note
Reference intervals and interpretation depend on the laboratory, specimen, method and clinical context. This source definition is educational information; it does not establish a diagnosis, product approval or suitability for an individual.