Chloroacetate esterase reaction combined with immunohistochemical characterization of the specific tissue microenvironment of mast cells.

This study provides a combined histochemical method for detecting enzyme activity of chloroacetate esterase simultaneously with immunolabeling of the components of a specific tissue microenvironment on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens. Chromogenic detection of the molecular targets within and outside the mast cells provides novel options in determining the histoarchitectonics of organ-specific mast cell populations, studying the functional significance of chloroacetate esterase and specifying the immune landscape of the tissue microenvironment.