Evaluation of biosafe alternative to eosin in hematoxylin and eosin staining procedure: A comparative study

BACKGROUND: Hematoxylin and eosin staining is the globally accepted staining technique for histology and histopathology sections. Hematoxylin is a natural dye as compared to eosin which is a synthetic dye manufactured from chemicals. Eosin acts as a counterstain to hematoxylin giving a sharp contrast to its blue color. Eosin being a chemical, can cause health hazards and environmental pollution. Using eco-friendly materials and going organic is the demand of this era. Curcuma longa rhizomes are proven to contain curcuminoids that exhibit various medicinal properties and curcumin the bright yellow component of the plant, that is, being used as a colorant. This natural dye from C. longa provides a significant alternative to eosin as they are safer to use without health hazards and are biodegradable and have easy disposability. AIM: To evaluate and compare the staining qualities of C. longa (turmeric) with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 paraffin-embedded tissue block specimens of various pathological tissues were stained with H and E and hematoxylin and curcumin (H&C). Evaluation and comparison of the staining efficacy were done for all the pathological tissues. The obtained data were subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: H&C staining gave comparable results with H and E staining with a statistically insignificant P value (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Curcumin has shown equivalent staining to that of eosin. Thus, it can be used as a better alternative.