|
ACLAR 33C is a flexible thermoplastic fluoropolymer film with high optical clarity and a smooth surface. These features provide the basis for some novel solutions to
specific embedding problems.
For studies utilizing horseradish peroxidase (HRP), ACLAR has been successfully used to aid in light microscopy evaluation prior to thin sectioning. After
processing through the standard HRP, fixation, dehydration and embedding schedules, a slice of tissue sample with a drop of epoxy resin is placed on a small sheet of ACLAR. A second sheet of ACLAR is placed over the
specimen and these two sheets are pressed between the area of interest can be easily cut out and attached by "super glue" to a blank epoxy cylinder for ultramicrotomy. The ACLAR serves to keep the sections flat,
providces excellent transparency and can be easily peeled from the cured epoxies.
Macrophages selectively adhere to the surface of ACLAR while lymphocytes do not. After washing, an almost
pure collection of macrophages can be produced using ACLAR disks as substrates in standard tissue culture wells. The disks containing macrophages are then fixed, dehydrated, critical point dried and attached to SEM
specimen mounts. Following a conductive evaporative coating, the specimen can be examined at up to 20-25kV in the SEM. REF: "Ultrastructure of HRP-Labelled Neurons: A Comparison of Two
Sensitive Techniques." G.M. Mawe, J.C. Bresnahan and M.S. Beattie. Brain Research Bulletin,
10:551-558, 1983. |
