Usefulness of Antigen Retrieval Based on Microwaveexposure in Histopathological Diagnosis

Abstract

The usefulness and the limitation of antigen retrieval on microwave exposture of fixed tissues was examined, and the difference in different boiling solution is reported. In formalin-fixed myosarcoma tissues, vimentin stainability was better by microwave exposure in lead thiocyanate solution than in zinc sulfate solution or in deionized water. Antigen retrieval was successful in vimentin immunostaining and partially successful in desmin staining but alpha-smooth muscle actin staining was not improved. In methacarn-fixed, pa-raffin-embedded breast cancer tissues, microwave exposure in citrate solution retrieved estrogen and progesterone receptor which correlated significantly with dextran-coated charcoal analysis with high sensitivity and high specificity. Therefore, tissue antigens or epitopes were retrieved that were masked by fixation, but present results showed that the retrieval was not universal.