All the nanotechnological devices designed for medical purposes have to deal with the common requirement of facing the complexity of a living organism. Therefore, the development of these nanoconstructs must involve the study of their structural and functional interactions and the effects on cells, tissues, and organs, to ensure both effectiveness and safety. To this aim, imaging techniques proved to be extremely valuable not only to visualize the nanoparticles in the biological environment but also to detect the morphological and molecular modifications they have induced. In particular, histochemistry is a long-established science able to provide molecular information on cell and tissue components in situ, bringing together the potential of biomolecular analysis and imaging. The present review article aims at offering an overview of the various histochemical techniques used to explore the impact of novel nanoproducts as therapeutic, reconstructive and diagnostic tools on biological systems. It is evident that histochemistry has been playing a leading role in nanomedical research, being largely applied to single cells, tissue slices and even living animals.

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Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins with specific affinity to glycoconjugates expressed in various tissues. Lectins are of substantial utility as research, histochemical, and diagnostic tools in mammalian systems. Reactivity of 12 commonly used plant-based lectins was studied in zebrafish liver. Four lectins, tomato lectin (TL), wheat germ agglutinin, concanavalin A, and Jacalin showed strong reactivity to hepatic parenchymal structures. Importantly, TL reacted to glycoconjugates within segments of the larval and adult intrahepatic biliary network, from canaliculi to bile ducts. We provide evidence that lectins can serve as important histochemical tools to investigate the structural and functional characteristics of the zebrafish liver.

Mamey (Mammea americana L.) is a tropical fleshy fruit native from the West Indies and northern South America. It is very appreciated for its flavor and color but has been little described. The present study investigates the composition and histochemistry of the pulp cell walls of three mamey accessions readily available in Martinique. The impact of pulp processing into puree on cell wall composition is evaluated. The histology and rheology of mamey puree are assessed considering these characterizations. Mamey pulp cell wall composition is dominated by highly methyl-esterified pectins (DM: 66.2-76.7%) of high molecular weight, and show few hemicelluloses, mainly xyloglucans. Processing reduced methyl-esterified uronic acid contents and gave purees with significantly different viscosities. Mamey puree was composed of polydisperse particles (20-2343 µm), which size distributions were different depending on the accession: Ti Jacques was dominated by smaller particles (50% had approximated diameters lower than 160 µm), Sonson\'s by larger particles (50% had approximated diameters higher than 900 µm), and Galion\'s had an intermediate profile. This new knowledge on mamey pulp is valuable for future works on mamey processing into new food products, even more so for those including cell wall polysaccharide-degrading enzymes.

For over a century, Palazzo Botta (Palace Botta) has housed the University of Pavia\'s Biomedical Institutes. Illustrious scientists have conducted research and taught at this Palace, making significant contributions to the advancement of natural, biological, and medical science. Among them, Camillo Golgi received the Nobel Prize for discovering the so-called \"black reaction.\" Following Golgi, the Palace continued to be a hub for the development of methodologies and reactions aimed at detecting and quantifying biological components. Maffo Vialli (in the Golgi stream) was the first to establish a Histochemistry Research Group, which began in the naturalistic field and later expanded to the biomedical area. Among the many histochemical studies initiated in the Palace, the Feulgen reaction undoubtedly played a significant role. This reaction, developed R. Feulgen and H. Rossenbeck in 1924, had significant international implications: numerous researchers then contributed to define its fine chemical details, which remained the subject of study for years, resulting in a massive international scientific literature. The Pavia School of Histochemistry also contributed to the evolution and application of this method, which has become a true benchmark in quantitative histochemistry. Giovanni Prenna and the CNR Centre for Histochemistry made significant contributions, as they were already focused on fluorescence cytochemistry. The Pavia researchers made significant contributions to the development of methodology and, in particular, instrumentation; the evolution of the latter resulted in the emergence of flow cytometry and an ever-increasing family of fluorescent probes, which somewhat overshadowed the Feulgen reaction for DNA quantification. The advent of monoclonal antibodies then contributed to the final explosion of flow cytometry in clinical application, almost making young neophytes forget that its roots date back to Feulgen.

This Editorial celebrates the 70th anniversary of the European Journal of Histochemistry since its foundation as Rivista di Istochimica Normale e Patologica, and introduces a Special Collection of selected articles on the application of the histochemical approach for investigating cell biological features and processes in animals and plants, and under diseased conditions. The year 2024 is a special one for histochemists, as 100 years ago J.W. Robert Feulgen and H. Rossenbeck introduced the histochemical procedure for the specific stoichiometric staining of DNA in histological samples: to commemorate this influential publication, three papers in the present issue are devoted to the application of the Feulgen reaction at light and electron microscopy, and in cytometry.

This paper reviews some of the goals of our investigations published over the years on Rivista di Istochimica Normale e Patologica, Basic and Applied Histochemistry, and the European Journal of Histochemistry - EJH. In a series of papers, we published some of the basic cytochemical features of the sperm cytodifferentiation process for the first time. This was a conceptual and practical prerequisite to the in situ quantitative evaluation of sperm DNA content. We showed that the discrepancy between the expected 1:2 ratio when comparing sperm versus somatic cell DNA content (sperm DNA content is always far low from the theoretical value) is due to DNA losses caused by the hydrochloric treatment entailed by the Feulgen reaction. The knowledge of the specific losses that occur during the various steps of the Feulgen reaction has allowed us to use it critically in Genome Size studies to highlight: - sperm aneuploidy in chromosomally derived subfertility; - the broad variability range of Mammalian genome sizes; - that termites are roaches (after decades of discussion on this topic). In addition, in a seminal paper on human oocytes, we showed (by transmission electron microscopy) a specific chromatin and cytoplasmic organization (both essential for further embryo development) linked to oocyte maturation arrest, a datum quite relevant to treating unmet therapeutic needs in human and veterinary reproduction.

Lectins are naturally occurring carbohydrate-binding proteins that are ubiquitous in nature and highly selective for their, often incompletely characterised, binding partners. From their discovery in the late 1880s to the present day, they have provided a broad palette of versatile tools for exploring the glycosylation of cells and tissues and for uncovering the myriad functions of glycosylation in biological systems. The technique of lectin histochemistry, used to map the glycosylation of tissues, has been instrumental in revealing the changing profile of cellular glycosylation in development, health and disease. It has been especially enlightening in revealing fundamental alterations in cellular glycosylation that accompany cancer development and metastasis, and has facilitated the identification of glycosylated biomarkers that can predict prognosis and may have utility in development of early detection and screening, Moreover, it has led to insights into the functional role of glycosylation in healthy tissues and in the processes underlying disease. Recent advances in biotechnology mean that our understanding of the precise binding partners of lectins is improving and an ever-wider range of lectins are available, including recombinant human lectins and lectins with enhanced, engineered properties. Moreover, use of traditional histochemistry to support a broad range of cutting-edge technologies and the development of high throughout microarray platforms opens the way for ever more sophisticated mapping - and understanding - of the glycome.

Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) is a rare form of mesenchymal malignancy that rarely occurs in children. Only seven cases of intra-articular epithelioid sarcoma have been reported in the medical literature.
In this report, we presented the case of a 13-year-old girl with a delayed diagnosis of ES in the left knee. Her initial diagnosis was mistaken for Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis (PVNS) but ruled out later by the first biopsy. However, the lesion rapidly regrew again after arthroscopy, raising suspicions of malignancy. A comprehensive histochemistry examination was conducted again, leading to the diagnosis of INI-1 negative epithelioid sarcoma. Unfortunately, the girl passed away seven months later due to early metastasis of the tumor.
Careful consideration should be given to the differential diagnosis of pediatric patients presenting with monoarthritis. This report highlights the importance of early and accurate diagnosis and underscores the necessity for effective treatments for epithelioid sarcoma. Surgical resection or radical surgery is recommended, while novel treatment strategies targeting EZH2 show promise.

The posterior lingual glands are classified as Weber and von Ebner glands. Glycans play an important role in salivary glands. Although the distribution of glycans can explain functional diversity and variation, there are many unknowns in the developing rat posterior lingual glands. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationship between the development and function of the posterior lingual gland in rats by histochemical analysis using lectins that bind to sugar residues. In adult rats, Arachis hypogaea (PNA), Glycine maximus (SBA), and Triticum vulgaris (WGA) were associated with serous cells and Dolichos biflorus (DBA) with mucous cells. In both Weber\'s and von Ebner\'s glands, all 4 lectins were bound to serous cells in early development, but as development progressed, DBA disappeared in serous cells and only the DBA remained in mucous cells. These results suggest that Galβ (1,3) > Galβ(1,4) > Gal, αGalNAc > αGal > βGalNAc, NeuAc > (GalNAc)2-3>>>GlcNAc, and GalNAcα(1,3) are present in the early stage of development, but that GalNAcα(1,3) disappear in serous cells and only GalNAcα(1,3) are localized in mucous cells after maturation. These results indicate that Weber glands function as serous glands in the early postnatal stage when von Ebner glands have not matured.