Intro to Histo Flashcards
histology
study of cells and body tissues
purpose of histo
. understand tissue structure at levels not visible to eye
. understand relationship between structure/function
. establish basis for histopathology
types of microscopy
light microscopy (LM) & electron microscopy (EM)
LM
based on interactions of light and tissue with optical lens to focus beam of photons on speciman
EM
. based on interactions of electrons and tissue
. resolving power 1000x LM
. magnification 100xLM
types of EM
transmission EM (TEM) and scanning EM (pseudo 3D views)
micrometer
(um), 0.001 mm or 10^-6m
nanometer
(nm), 0.001 um or 10^-9m
resolution
smallest distance at which 2 points can be distinguished from each other
unaided eye resolution
0.2 mm
LM resolution
0.2 um (x1000-1500 magnification)
TEM resolution
3 nm (x120,000 magnification)
preparation of tissue for LM steps
fixation, dehydration/clearing/embedding, sectioning, and staining
types of fixation of tissues
chemical w/ formalin, physical by freezing
purpose of fixation of tissues
preserve microscopic organization of cells, tissues, organs
dehydration, clearing, and embedding steps for formalin-fixed tissues
.H2O replaced by organic solvent (ethanol)
. ethanol replaced by clearing agent (xylene)
. xylene replaced by paraffin
sectioning of tissue
steel blade of microtome used to cut 1-10 um thick sections
what are frozen tissues sectioned with?
cryostat (freezing microtome)
staining of tissues
most dyes act as acids/bases & form ionic bonds
most common stain
Hematoxylin and eosin
Is hematoxylin acid or basophilic
basophilic (neg. charged ions that bond to pos. charged tissues)
what color does hematoxylin stain?
blue
Is eosin acid or basophilic
acidophilic (pos. charged ions that bond to neg. charged tissues)
what color does eosin stain?
pink