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The efficiency of aldehyde fixation for electron microscopy: Stabilization of rat brain tissue to withstand osmotic stress

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Rat brains were fixed either with glutaraldehyde (GA) or formaldehyde (FA). After 20 min or 24 h fixation the osmotic sensitivity of the tissue was tested by immersion in (a) distilled water (b) 0.15m or (c) 0.3m cacodylate buffer. GA-fixed material retained some sensitivity to osmotic stress after 20 min fixation but was entirely resistant after 24 h fixation. Ultrastructural preservation was good after only 20 min GA-fixation, provided that the subsequent treatment was with isotonic solutions. The fixation with FA was less efficient and slower. Dark neurons and other artifacts were commonly seen after the 20 min fixation with FA. Prolongation of the FA-fixation overnight gave markedly better preservation, but however, never equivalent to that with GA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathological Anatomy, University of Turku, 20520, Turku 52, Finland

    Leo Paljärvi, Julio H. Garcia & Hannu Kalimo

  2. Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 21201, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Leo Paljärvi, Julio H. Garcia & Hannu Kalimo

Authors
  1. Leo Paljärvi
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  2. Julio H. Garcia
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  3. Hannu Kalimo
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Paljärvi, L., Garcia, J.H. & Kalimo, H. The efficiency of aldehyde fixation for electron microscopy: Stabilization of rat brain tissue to withstand osmotic stress. Histochem J 11, 267–276 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01005026

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01005026

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