for IHC double stained and for along time as it possible .usually 10% formaldehyde or 70% ethyl alcohol may be kept sample for how long ?
Hello,
generally I would avoid alcoholic fixatives when the aim is to perform IHC. EtOH usually hardens the tissue, the longer the harder, making tissue sections a pain. Furthermore, antigens that are associated with lipidic structures might be diminished or totally lost. With regards to the hardening of the tissue same thing happens when using formaldehyde, eventhough from experience the effect seems to be less grave. Formaldehyde has the advantage of preserving most antigens very well, as long as the pH does not drop below 7.2. So make sure, the buffer is appropriate and stable over time.
If you have the choice, then I would recommend to generally embed all tissue in paraffin, this is the "safest" storage and much better than keeping it in whatever fixative you choose in the end. This will give you the overall best results with regards to sensitivity vs morphology in IHC.
If you are not sure, what you want to do with the tissue in the future, then it might be worthwile thinking about storing the tissue at -80°C, perhaps even un- or only lightly fixated.
Good luck and good results !
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