[M] Week 9 Decalcification, Dehydration, Clearing, Impregnation, and Embedding - Part 1 Flashcards
(110 cards)
removal of calcium or lime salts are
removed from tissues (most especially bones and teeth) following fixation.
Decalcification
It enables the histotechnologist to cut soft sections of the bone using the microtome, so that they can be processed like any other soft tissue of the body.
Decalcification
should be done after fixation and before impregnation, to ensure and facilitate the normal cutting of sections and to prevent obscuring the microanatomic detail of such sections by bone dust and other cellular debris.
Decalcification
What are the characteristics of a good decalcifying agent
- Capable of removing calcium salts from tissues completely.
- Without producing considerable destruction or distortion of cells and tissue components.
- Without adversely affecting the staining capacity of the cell, particularly of the nucleus.
What are the agents used in decalcification
- Acids
- Chelating Agents
- Ion exchange resins
- Electrical ionization (electrophoresis)
- the most widely used agents for routine decalcification of large amounts of bony tissues.
- stable, readily available, and relatively inexpensive
Acid Decalcifying Agents
What are the Acid Decalcfying Agens
- Nitric acid
- Hydrochloric acid
- Formic acid
- Tricholoroacetic acid
- Sulfurous acid
- Chromic acid
- Citric acid
ACID DECALCIFYING AGENTS
- the most common and the fastest decalcifying agent.
- It is utilized both as a simple solution or combined with other reagents.
- Representative formulations include:
o Aqueous Nitric Acid Solution 10%
o Formol-Nitric Acid
o Perenyi’s Fluid
o Phloroglucin-Nitric Acid
Nitric acid
Nitric acid
Decalcification Time
- 12-24 Hours
- 2-7 Days
- 12-24 Hours
- 1-3 Days
- Aqueous Nitric Acid Solution 10%
- Perenyi’s Fluid
- Phloroglucin-Nitric Acid
- Formol-Nitric Acid
Nitric acid
Advantage: Rapid action. Recommended for urgent biopsy,and for needle and small biopsy specimen.
Disadvantage: It imparts a yellow
color with nitrous acid, thereby
impairing the staining reaction of the tissue
Aqueous Nitric Acid Solution 10%
Nitric acid
Advantage: Rapid action. Recommended for urgent biopsy.
Disadvantage: It imparts a yellow
color with nitrous acid. This may be prevented by neutralizing the tissue with 5% sodium sulfate and washing in running tap water for at least 12 hours
Formol-Nitric Acid
almost same with Aqueous Nitric
Acid Solution 10%
Nitric acid
Advantage: Recommended for routine purposes.
Disadvantage: Complete decalcification cannot be determined by chemical test.
Perenyi’s Fluid
Nitric acid
Advantage:
- Most rapid decalcifying agent.
* Recommended for urgent works.
Disadvantage:
* It imparts a yellow color (neutralized by 5% Sodium sulfate and water).
* Complete decalcification cannot be
determined by chemical test.
Phloroglucin-Nitric Acid
- inferior compared to nitric acid in its role as a decalcifying agent.
- It has slower action and greater distortion of tissue produced on the section calcified.
Representative formulations include:
o Von Ebner’s Fluid
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Advantage:
- Moderately rapid decalcifying agent
- Recommended for teeth and small pieces of bone
- Does not require washing out before dehydration
Disadvantage:
- The extent of decalcification cannot be measured by a chemical test.
Decal time. Not mentioned
Von Ebner’s Fluid
- a moderate-acting decalcifying agent which produces better nuclear staining with less tissue distortion.
- It is safer to handle than nitric acid or hydrochloric acid.
- It is recommended for routine decalcification of postmortem research tissues.
Formic acid
Formic acid
Decal Time: 2-7 days
Advantage:
* May be used both as a fixative and decalcifying agent
* Recommended for small pieces of bones and teeth
* Suitable for most routine surgical
specimens, particularly when IHC staining is needed
Disadvantage:
It requires neutralization with 5% Sodium sulfate and washing out to remove the acid from the tissue
Formic acid
Formic acid
Decal Time: **3-14 days **
Advantage: Recommended for autopsy materials, bone marrow, cartilage and tissues studied forresearch purposes
Disadvantage: Requires neutralization with 5% Sodium Sulfate
Formic acid-Sodium
citrate Solution
Decal time: 4-8 days
Advantage
* It permits good nuclear staining.
* It does not require washing out; the excess acid may be removed by several changes of 90% alcohol, thus improving tissue dehydration
Disadvantage
* It is a weak decalcifying agent, not used for dense tissues, and is suitable only for small spicules of bone.
* It is very slow-acting; hence, is not recommended for urgent examinations.
Trichloroacetic acid
Its disadvantage is that it is a very weak decalcifying solution suitable only for minute pieces of bone.
Sulfurous acid
Advantage: May be used both as a fixative and decalcifying agent
Disadvantage:
* Nuclear staining with hematoxylin is inhibited
* The extent of decalcification cannot be measured by a chemical test
* Highly corrosive to skin and mucous membranes
* Carcinogenic
Chromic acid (Flemming’s Fluid)
Decal. time: 6 days
Advantage:
* It permits excellent nuclear and cytoplasmic staining.
- It does** not produce cell or tissue distortion**
Disadvantage:
* Its action is too slow for routine purposes.
Citric Acid-Citrate Buffer Solution (pH 4.5)
substances which combine with calcium ions and other salts, such as iron and magnesium deposits, to form weakly dissociated complexes and faclitate removal of calcium salts.
Chelating agents
The most common chelating agent in the market is
ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) salt
commercial name of VERSENE