Quantitation of histochemical staining of salivary gland mucin using imageanalysis in cats and dogs

Two different, computer-based, image analysis methods were employed to comp lement subjective assessment of patterns of mucin staining (by periodic aci d Schiff/alcian blue, aldehyde fuchsin/alcian blue and potassium hydroxide alcian blue/phenylhydrazine hydrocholoride) in digitised images of sections of major and minor salivary glands from cats and dogs. Image analysis base d on red, green and blue (RGB) staining was not suitable for quantitation o f histochemical staining of mucin in salivary glands. Image analysis based on hue, saturation and lightness (HSL) allowed quantitative assessment of s taining by different stain components and of mixed staining, and enabled co mparison of staining of different glands in dogs and cats. Quantitative ana lysis based on HSL allowed differentiation of differences in staining patte rns of major and minor cat and dog salivary glands, and between the species ; such differences would have been impossible to distinguish on subjective grounds alone. Quantitative assessment of normal salivary gland histochemis try allows com parison with staining patterns in disease. (C) Inra/Elsevier , Paris.