Which statement correctly pairs the mucicarmine stain with its target in this protocol?

• A. Mucicarmine stains mucin
• B. PAS stains carbohydrates
• C. Alcian blue stains nucleic acids
• D. Prussian blue stains lipid

Answer: (A)

Mucin is the target of mucicarmine. This stain specifically binds to acidic mucins produced by goblet cells and mucous glands, producing a characteristic red (or pink) color for the mucin while nuclei are counterstained blue. This specificity helps differentiate mucin-producing cells and mucin-rich structures in tissue sections.

Other stains have different targets, which is why they don’t pair with mucicarmine in the same way: PAS highlights carbohydrates like glycogen and mucopolysaccharides, Alcian blue targets acidic mucopolysaccharides (not nucleic acids), and Prussian blue detects ferric iron in hemosiderin (not lipids, which are shown with lipid-specific stains such as Sudan dyes).