Histotechnologist (HTL) Practice Test 2026 - Free HTL Exam Practice Questions and Study Guide

Bright red cytoplasm points to red blood cells because their cytoplasm is packed with hemoglobin, which binds eosin and stains intensely pink to red on H&E sections. Erythrocytes are normally anucleate and appear as uniform red discs. In contrast, lymphocytes have a large dark nucleus with only a small amount of bluish cytoplasm, platelets are tiny and pale, and neutrophils show a pale pink cytoplasm with granules and a segmented nucleus. So the cells with the intense red cytoplasm are red blood cells.