Histological techniques Flashcards
how is the tissue being examined made as life-like as possible
it is ‘fixed’ using a chemical(eg formalin) that cross-links the proteins
how is the light able to penetrate the tissue
the tissue is very thinly sliced (1-15micrometers)
what is the tissue impregnated with, why and how
wax to act as a support material
this is done by dehydrating the tissue, putting it into an organic solvent and placing it in hot wax until tissue is fully penetrated
what happens once the tissue is impregnated
thin sections cut on a microtome and put on microscope slides, the wax is washed out and tissue is rehydrated
what is meant by the term artifacts
distortions/changes from the original tissue that occur after tissue is rehydrated and had wax taken out
how does staining the tissue help examination
the different stains bind to different types of molecules, allowing it to be clearly seen what cell types are present
what is the most common combo of stains
haematoxylin(purple) and eosin(pink)
