Section of the intestinal wall stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE).
The area at the right part of the image is occupied by a bundle of smooth muscle cells. These spindle-shaped cells are organized in parallel to each other.
The left portion of the image is occupied by connective tissue. It has a large amount of collagen fibers that occupy a large part of the extracellular matrix in many tissues.
The nuclei of both tissues are stained blue-purple by hematoxylin.
The cytoplasm is stained pink by eosin as do the collagen fibers of the extracellular matrix. Notice that the nuclei are well arranged in the muscle layer but no so in the conective tissue.
Most of the nuclei of connective tissue cells stain stronger, darker, than those of muscle tissue. They are also called dense chromatin nuclei. Nuclei that stain less, such as those of the muscle cells, are also called loose chromatin nuclei.
After placing the mouse or clicking on the image , the nuclei in both tissues become stained in dark blue. The cytoplasm of the smooth muscle cells becomes stained in light blue and the collagen fibers in pink.
Small intestine. Hematoxylin and eosin. Medium magnification.
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