Short communication – the advantages of omitting iron hematoxylin in the Masson’s trichrome stain

The trichrome stain for collagen fibers is one of the most common special stains performed in the routine histology laboratory. Over many decades, the stain has been modified to best suit the users in respect to type of tissue, workflow and time restrictions, financial limitations, availability of reagents, and personal preference. While trichrome stains often have 3 color components, black for nuclei, red for cytoplasm, and blue or green for collagen, omitting iron hematoxylin step producing a dichromatic stain generates the benefits of abbreviating the staining time and reducing cost while preserving the overall quality.