The Azan staining method stains the collagen fibers within fibrous connective tissue blue.
| 1 | Deparaffinization | Xylene | 3 changes, 10 minuntes each |
| 2 | Removal of xylene | 100% ethanol | 3 changes, 5 minutes each |
| 3 | Hydration | 95%, 70% ethanol | 5 minutes each |
| 4 | Washing | Running tap water | 2 minutes |
| 5 | Rinsing | Distilled water | |
| 6 | Staining | Azocarmine G solution (preheated at 50℃) | 1 hour at 50℃ and 1 hour at RT (Filter before use) |
| 7 | Washing | Running tap water | |
| 8 | Differentiating | Aniline-alcohol solution | Differentiate until nuclei stand out sharply (This step may be omitted) |
| 9 | Rinsing | Acetic alcohol | 1 to 2 minutes (This step is omitted when sept8 is omitted.) |
| 10 | Washing | Running tap water | |
| 11 | Mordanting | 5% phosphomolybdic acid solution | 3 hours or overnight |
| 12 | Washing | Running tap water | |
| 13 | Rinsing | Distilled water | |
| 14 | Staining | Aniline blue-orange G mixture | Approximately 15 to 30 minutes. After staining, wipe slides with filter paper to drain off the solution. |
| 15 | Differentiating | 100% ethanol | 3 changes. Agitate the slides during this step. |
| 16 | Microscopic check | | Differentiate until blue and red color can be distinguished. |
| 17 | Clearing | Xylene | 3 changes, 10 minuntes each |
| 18 | Coverslipping | | |
Boil, cool, and filter the mixture and then dilute the stock solution 3–5 times for use.