Transmission electron microscopy staining methods for the cortex of human hair: a modified osmium method and comparison with other stains

For wool, superior staining of a wide range of ultrastructural components is achieved by en bloc treatment of fibres with a chemical reductant followed by osmium tetroxide. For human scalp hair, although staining quality is similar, the penetration of reagents is poor, resulting in large parts of the fibre cortex remaining unstained. Here we describe a modification to the reduction-osmication method in which reagents penetrate through a cut fibre end, allowing visualization of a wide range of features across the cortex. We compare the staining quality, artefacts and range of structure rendered visible using transmission electron microscopy for en bloc reduction-osmication to other staining alternatives including en bloc silver nitrate and section stains based on uranyl acetate and lead citrate, phosphotungstic acid, potassium permanganate, ammoniacal silver nitrate and some combinations of these stains. The effects of hair-care treatments are briefly examined.