The PAS staining procedure is most commonly used in the clinical histology laboratory to demonstrate glycogen deposits in the liver. Glycogen granules may also be visible in tumors of the bladder, kidney, ovary, pancreas, and lung.
Basement membranes, which are present in various tissues in the body, may also be visualized through the PAS staining procedure. Several disorders can be identified through the demonstration of abnormal basement membranes.
The PAS staining procedure can also demonstrate fungi in tissue samples due to the high carbohydrate content of the organisms cellular walls.
Neutral mucins in the gastrointestinal tract and some epithelial mucins will also give a PAS-positive staining reaction.
