Iron hematoxylin demonstrates which tissue component?

• A. Myelin
• B. Nerve fibers
• C. Glial cells
• D. Axons

Answer: (A)

Iron hematoxylin is used to highlight the lipid-rich myelin in nervous tissue. It stains the myelin sheaths around axons a dark color, making white matter tracts stand out. Because this stain specifically emphasizes myelin rather than the neuron cell bodies or other components, the component demonstrated is myelin. Glial cells and axons without their myelin sheaths don’t show the same selective dark staining, so they aren’t the primary feature highlighted by this stain.