[Histonet] Xylene Substitute for Counterstain Clearing

[Andrew Coleman]

Hi all,

We are performing a neutral red counterstain on tissue sections
containing colored polystyrene microspheres. The spheres are inert to
alcohol, but are washed out when we clear with xylene to coverslip.
The spheres are also supposedly soluble in DMF, acetone, acetonitrile,
chloroform and methylene chloride for what its worth.

Is it reasonable to coverslip these slides in permanent mount without
clearing with xylene after dehydrating the tissue? Or does anyone know
of a substitute clearing agent with chemical properties dissimilar
enough from xylene that might be worth trying instead?

Thanks,

Andrew