J Cancer
2010; 1:178-183.
doi:10.7150/jca.1.178 This volumeCite
Short Research Communication
Elevated Pressure Improves the Rate of Formalin Penetration while Preserving Tissue Morphology
Ingrid E. Chesnick1, Jeffrey T. Mason1, Timothy J. O'Leary2, Carol B. Fowler1,2✉
1. Department of Biophysics, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rockville, Maryland, USA; 2. Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development Service, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC, USA
✉ Corresponding author: Carol B. Fowler, PhD, Department of Biophysics, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 1413 Research Boulevard, Building 101, Room 1005, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. Phone: 240-671-5456; Fax: 301-295-9507; E-mail: carol.fowler1army.milMore
Citation:
Chesnick IE, Mason JT, O'Leary TJ, Fowler CB. Elevated Pressure Improves the Rate of Formalin Penetration while Preserving Tissue Morphology. J Cancer 2010; 1:178-183. doi:10.7150/jca.1.178. https://www.jcancer.org/v01p0178.htm
Formaldehyde fixation and paraffin-embedding remains the most widely used technique for processing cancer tissue specimens for pathologic examination, the study of tissue morphology, and archival preservation. However, formaldehyde penetration and fixation is a slow process, requiring a minimum of 15 hr for routine processing of pathology samples. Routinely fixed samples often have a well-fixed outer rim, with a poorly-fixed inner core of tissue. In this study, we show that the application of elevated pressure up to 15,000 psi improves the rate of formaldehyde fixation by approximately 5 to 7-fold while preserving the tissue morphology of porcine liver. The tissue also exhibited much more uniform formaldehyde penetration after 30-60 min incubation under elevated pressure than samples fixed for the same length of time at atmospheric pressure.