Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

The Staining Interactions of Aqueous Extract of Skin Allium cepa (Red Onion) on Some Selected Histological Tissues

M. O. Mohammed, A. A. Hali, O. O. Okechi, A. T. Muhammad, R. I. Tsamiya, U. Abubakar, I. Mohammed, A. Umar, S. M. Sani, M. K. Dallatu, J. M. Bunza, H. Kabir, H. M. Tambuwal, A. Slisu, B. A. Bello, F. A. Dogondaji, N. Okorie, S. Y. Ma’aruf, D. Isah, A. A. Ngaski, N. A. Idris, A. S. Ajayi, M. Isah, M. Sirajo, A. Abdulazeez, H. Abullahi

International Journal of Biochemistry Research & Review · pp. 55–64 · Published 20 Aug 2020

10.9734/ijbcrr/2020/v29i830212

Abstract

Introduction: Histological stains are biological dyes which colour tissue in order to aid optical differentiation of tissue component. Dyes are coloured substance which impact colour for material such as textile, cosmetic, food, drugs, rubber plastics, hair, fur and tissues. There are two types of dyes namely; natural dyes and synthetic dyes. Allium cepa is an imperative, evergreen plant, which belongs to the family Amaryllidaceace commonly called bulb onion. Aim: This research work aimed at evaluating the staining capability of onion extract as counter stain when haematoxylin was used as primary stain. Methods: Tissue blocks sections of liver and kidney organs were made from the Wistar rat. Serial sections labelled A to M were made from each block and stained with Harris haematoxylin. Section A was counterstained with eosin, as control. Different preparations of extracts of the onion skin were used to counter stain sections of kidney and liver tissues. Group B to Mwere kidney and liver tissues stained as follows: B, E, H and K (5% aqueous and ethanolic extract with ferric chloride, 5% aqueous and ethanolic extract with potassium aluminium alum, and 5% aqueous and ethanolic extract without mordant, for 10 and 20 minutes). C, D, F, G, I, J, L and M (5% aqueous and ethanolic extract with ferric chloride, 5% aqueous and ethanolic extract with potassium aluminium alum and 5% aqueous and ethanolic extract without mordant for 10 and 20 minutes). Results: The skin extract of Allium cepa stained the cytoplasm of cells and connective tissues in shades of reddish brown to yellowish brown. The study established the cytoplasmic counter-staining ability of the extract of Allium cepa. Conclusion: It is therefore suggested that onion skin extract solution can be substituted for eosin due to its domestic availability, ease of preparation and above all, its good cytoplasm contrast with the nuclear stain.

Staining Allium cepa tissues

References (8)

  1. 1 The analysis of onion and garlic [DOI]
  2. 2 Evolution, domestication and taxonomy. [DOI]
  3. 3 Chemical Aspects of Santalin as a Histological Stain [DOI]
  4. 4 Onions and Their Allies [DOI]
  5. 5 Ajoene, a Compound of Garlic, Induces Apoptosis in Human Promyeloleukemic Cells, Accompanied by Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species and Activation of Nuclear Factor κB [DOI]
  6. 6 Extracts of Pterocarpus osun as a histological stain for collagen fibres [DOI]
  7. 7 Phytochemical Properties and Staining Ability of Red Onion (Allium cepa)Extract on Histological Sections [DOI]
  8. 8 PROSPECTS OF ONION CULTIVATION IN THE WARM-TEMPERATE HILLS OF EASTERN NEPAL AND ITS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION [DOI]

Cited by 2

Alternatives to eosin in histopathological assessments: A comparison of organic stains

A. Aiswarya, Bhupesh Patel, H. Tiwari · Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology · 2025

Showing 1 of 2 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

51

Page views

0

PDF downloads

30

Outbound clicks

2

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.