[Histonet] IHC on paraformaldehyde-fixed

[Tony Henwood]

Gee I hate the term paraformaldehyde (as many of you probably know)

This is an example of how confusion of terms can cause unnecessary work.
Is "4% paraformaldehyde" different from 4 % formaldehyde?

No

Should any procedure done to tissues fixed in "4% paraformaldehyde" give
results different to those fixed in 4% formaldehyde or 10% formalin? 

No since they are the same thing.


As Manoonkitiwongsa and Schultz (Histochem J 34: 365-367, 2002) state
when paraformaldehyde actually becomes a fixative, it is no longer
paraformaldehyde by chemistry or fixation capacity. Rather, it is
formaldehyde in water without methanol or any other stabiliser. Without
heat and an alkaline environment, paraformaldehyde in water is simply a
paraformaldehyde suspension with little fixation capacity. If the
fixative is prepared from paraformaldehyde then it should be termed 4%
formaldehyde freshly prepared from paraformaldehyde. If a concentrated
formalin solution (40% formaldehyde) is used, then it should be termed
10% formalin.

If you do a search on Histonet for paraformaldehye, you will find that
this topic has been extensively discussed.

Regards

Tony Henwood JP, MSc, BAppSc, GradDipSysAnalys, CT(ASC)
Laboratory Manager & Senior Scientist
Tel: 612 9845 3306
Fax: 612 9845 3318
the children's hospital at westmead 
Cnr Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, Westmead 
Locked Bag 4001, Westmead NSW 2145, AUSTRALIA 




-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Jan
Shivers
Sent: Thursday, 4 December 2008 8:34 AM
To: histonet
Subject: [Histonet] IHC on paraformaldehyde-fixed


Has anyone ever done IHC on parafomaldehyde-fixed tissues, and if so,
how well did it work?  Will the same antigen-retrieval methods used with
formalin-fixed tissue be applicable?

I'm asking for an investigator, who already has his tissues fixed in
paraformaldehyde.

Jan Shivers
Senior Scientist
Pathology Teaching Program
Histology/IHC/EM Section Head
University of Minnesota
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
1333 Gortner Ave.
St. Paul, MN  55108
612-624-7297
shive003 <@t> umn.edu _______________________________________________
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