immunohistochemistry is a combined histological , immunological and biochemical technique used for the identification of specific tissue components by means of specific antigen/antibody reactions.
3. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is the most common
application of immunostaining.
immunostaining is any use of an antibody-based
method to detect a specific protein in a sample.The
term "immunostaining" was originally used to refer to
the immunohistochemical staining of tissue sections,
as first described by Albert Coons in 1941
Immunohistochemical staining is widely used in the
diagnosis of abnormal cells such as those found
in cancerous tumors.
4. Immunohistochemistry is an important tool
for scientific research and diagnosIs which
are not determinable analysis with
hematoxylin and eosin.
The hematoxylin stains cell nuclei blue, and
eosin stains the extracellular matrix and
cytoplasm pink, with other structures taking
on different shades.
5. Phases:
The technique comprises two phases:
(1) slide preparation (primary antibody incubation,)
2.interpretation of the obtained expression
The selection of antibodies for the
immunohistochemical testing is
made on the basis of their tumor
specificity.