Tissue staining method and composition
AssigneeApplied Bioscience
InventorsPaul T. Wertlake, James S. Harrison
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A superior and extremely rapid histological staining method is described in which frozen tissue is briefly immersed in an aqueous solution comprising trichloroacetic acid, zinc chloride and formaldehyde and then in a second solution comprising hematoxylin. The tissue can be further counterstained if desired. Also disclosed are improved fixatives useful in this and other histological techniques.
Claims21
A method of staining tissue for microscopic examination which comprises (a) immersing frozen tissue in an aqueous solution comprising from about 1 to about 50% wt/vol. of a mixture of trichloroacetic acid, zinc chloride and formaldehyde wherein said mixture contains from about 5% to about 85%, by weight of said mixture, of trichloroacetic acid, from about 4% to about 30%, by weight of said mixture, of zinc chloride and from about 3% to about 70%, of by weight of said mixture, of formaldehyde, and (b) thereafter immersing the tissue at least once in an aqueous solution comprising 0.1 to 2% hematoxylin until staining of said tissue is complete.
A method of staining tissue for microscopic examination which comprises (a) immersing frozen tissue in an 8 to 20% wt/vol solution of a mixture of trichloroacetic acid, zinc chloride and formaldehyde wherein the weight ratio of zinc chloride to trichloroacetic acid is from about 2:1 to about 4:1 and the weight ratio of formaldehyde to trichloroacetic acid is from about 8:1 to about 10:1, in an aqueous lower alkanol wherein the volume ratio of alkanol to total water is from about 1:1 to about 1:3, and (b) thereafter immersing the tissue at least once in an aqueous solution comprising 0.1 to 2% hematoxylin until staining of said tissue is complete.
A histological fixative composition comprising a solution of (a) a mixture of from about 5% to about 85%, by weight, of trichloroacetic acid, from about 4% to about 30%, by weight, of zinc chloride, and from about 3% to about 70%, by weight, of 100% formaldehyde, in (b) an aqueous medium, the concentration of said mixture in said solution being from about 1% to about 50%, wt/vol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.