Staining Tissues With Dyes Obtained From Safran, Curcumin and Henna Extract Instead of Hematoxylin and Eosin Used in Routine Tissue Staining

Abstract In this study, it is aimed to investigate the potential use of saffron, curcumin, and henna extracts as alternatives to the routine histological staining method, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), in tissue staining. In the study, liver, pancreas, and spleen tissues obtained from four-week-old male Wistar albino rats were subjected to standard tissue processing protocols, and staining was performed using natural extracts. The staining results obtained were compared with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. In liver tissues stained with saffron and curcumin, Kupffer cells were observed more prominently, while in tissue samples stained with stone henna, hepatocytes and nuclei were clearly distinguishable. The findings revealed that while natural extracts did not replicate the classic nuclear and cytoplasmic staining patterns of hematoxylin and eosin, they showed selective staining properties that may be useful in complementary or preliminary histological assessments.