H&E Stain
Pronunciation: aitch-and-ee
Also written as: H&E — Haematoxylin and Eosin
Haematoxylin and Eosin staining; the standard histological stain used to visualise tissue morphology under light microscopy.
Full Definition
H&E staining is the cornerstone of diagnostic histopathology, combining haematoxylin (a basic dye that stains nuclei blue-purple) with eosin (an acidic dye that stains cytoplasm and extracellular matrix pink). The stain provides a broad overview of tissue architecture and cellular detail, enabling pathologists to identify normal structures and pathological changes. Editors working on pathology reports and laboratory protocols must ensure the abbreviation is rendered consistently—'H&E' is the universally accepted form, not 'H and E' or 'HE.' The full form 'haematoxylin and eosin' uses British spelling in most international and CAP-aligned documents, while 'hematoxylin' is preferred in US publications.
Usage
Usage note: Use 'H&E' (with ampersand) as the standard abbreviation. Be consistent with spelling of 'haematoxylin' (British/international) vs. 'hematoxylin' (US) throughout a document.
In Context
- "Sections were cut at 5 µm and stained with H&E for routine morphological assessment." — Histopathology report
- "The editor corrected 'H and E stain' to the standard abbreviation 'H&E stain' throughout the manuscript." — Editorial revision note