*4.6. Perl's Stain*

Tissue slides were dewaxed in xylene and rehydrated in a series of alcohol solutions using decreasing concentrations. Perl's stain was performed using the Iron Stain Kit (Sigma Aldrich, Taufkirchen, Germany, HT20) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Slides were then washed in distilled water, counterstained with Nuclear Fast Red solution (Sigma Aldrich, N3020), rapidly dehydrated, and mounted in Entellan (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany, 107961). Pictures were acquired using an Axioskop 40 (Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany).
