HOPS stain

In histology, the HOPS stain is a way of marking tissue for microscopic examination. HOPS is an acronym for haematoxylin, orcein, phyloxin and saffron.

Appearance of tissues stained with HOPS

 * nuclei appear blue (haematoxylin)
 * elastin appears black (orcein)
 * muscle appears red (phyloxin)
 * connective tissue appears yellow (saffron)