Periodic Acid Schiff Staining to Detect Mott Cells, Aberrant Plasma Cells Containing Immunoglobulin Inclusions Called Russell Bodies

Hematoxylin and eosin staining is widely used for routine histopathological analysis under light microscopic examination to determine alterations of tissue architecture and cellular components in animal studies. Aside from hematoxylin/eosin staining, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining is used to detect polysaccharides and carbohydrate-rich macromolecules, and is essential in immunological fields for evaluation of glomerular lesions of kidneys in autoimmune animals. Since erythrocytes are not stained by PAS, this stain is also helpful for identifying changes in immune cells in the red pulp of the spleen, which is filled with erythrocytes. This article describes a protocol to detect Mott cells, bizarre plasma cells containing immunoglobulin inclusion bodies (Russell bodies) in the cytoplasm. The protocol can be used for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections, frozen tissue sections, tissue-touch preparations, blood films, and cytocentrifuged cell smears. © 2024 The Author(s). Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Detection of Mott cells by PAS staining in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections Basic Protocol 2: Detection of Mott cells by PAS staining in frozen tissue sections, touch preparations, blood films, and cytocentrifuged cell smears.