FIXATIVES Flashcards
Procedure adopted to kill, harden and preserve materials for microscopic study, by means of a FIXATIVE
FIXATION
Fats, mucin, glycogen
Formaldehyde (Formalin)
CNS tissues and general post-mortem tissues
10% Formol-Saline
Preservation and storage of surgical, post-mortem and research specimens.
10% Neutral Buffered Formalin
Best fixative for tissues containing iron pigments
10% Neutral Buffered Formalin
Routine post-mortem tissues
Formol-Corrosive (Formol-Sublimate)
Routine light microscopy, and also electron microscopy
Glutaraldehyde
MOST COMMON FIXATIVE
Mercuric Chloride
Renal tissue, connective tissue, muscle, and fibrin
Mercuric Chloride
Small pieces of liver, spleen, connective tissue fibers and nuclei
Zenker’s fluid
Pituitary gland, bone marrow, and blood containing organs such as spleen and liver
Helly’s solution (Zenker-Formol)
Tumor biopsies especially of the skin; it is an excellent cytologic fixative
Heidenhain’s Susa solution
Fixative and decalcifier
Chromic acid
Fixative of choice for carbohydrates
Chromic acid
Preserves lipids and mitochondria
Potassium Dichromate
Chromatin, mitochondria, mitotic figures, Golgi bodies, RBC and colloid-containing tissues. Hemosiderin
Regaud’s (Moller’s) fluid
Study of early degenerative processes and tissue necrosis
Orth’s fluid
Acid MPS, fixes connective tissue mucin
Lead Fixatives
Glycogen
Picric acid
Embryos
Bouin’s solution
Soft and delicate structures such as endometrial curretings
Bouin’s solution
Glycogen
Brasil’s solution
Nuclear components of the cell, fixes and precipitates nucleoproteins, chromosomes and chromatins
Glacial Acetic Acid
Blood and tissue smears; preserves glycogen, nucleoproteins and nucleic acids; used for enzyme studies
70-100% Ethyl alcohol
MPS and nuclear proteins
Newcomer’s fluid
Fixation time and temperature using Newcomer’s fluid
12-18 hours; 18degCel