Influence of mounting media on re-staining of cytology smears and DNA extraction

Abstract

Objective: New techniques, such as cell transfer, DNA extraction and the re-staining method, are required for accurate diagnosis in cytology. We investigated the influence of the mounting media in applying the new techniques.
Materials and Methods: Four kinds of mounting media were evaluated. Specimens without mounting media were used as controls. After 4 days mounting, 60 conditions (6 smears×5 media× 2 antigens) were investigated by immuno-staining for alcohol-fixed cytology smears and formalin-fixed paraffin sections. Similar observations were performed after mounting of one month for about 15 other conditions (3 smears × 5 media). We also extracted DNA from specimens under 30 different conditions (6 smears × 5 media) for PCR detection of β globin.
Results: The results indicated that the staining intensity and PCR product were dependent on the kind of mounting media used. One type of mounting medium in particular caused deterioration of the antigen and DNA applicability for PCR.
Conclusion: Mounting media might be a confounding factor in applying new cytological diagnostic techniques.