Wright's stain, 500x
Bile has a blue-green appearance when colored with a routine stain (Romanowsky-based stain such as Wright's stain).The size and number of the pigment particles can vary. This pigment can be found both inside and outside hepatocytes in a fine needle aspirate specimen of the liver from an animal suffering from cholestasis. It is important not to confuse this pigment with other pigments such as hemosiderin or copper crystals: when in doubt, special stains can be used to confirm the nature of the pigment.