Use of Semithin Sections Embedded in a Water-Miscible Methacrylate for Light Microscopy of Central Nerve Tissues

Abstract

Semithin sections embedded in water-miscible methacrylates were used for the study of fine structures of cells and tissues in the central nervous system by light microscopy instead of the conventional paraffin sections. This method used a water-miscible methacrylate mixture consisting of 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA), Quetol 523 and methyl methacrylate (MMA)as an embedding medium. The mixture had a low viscosity, was easy to handle and penetrated readily and completely into the specimen, producing a homogeneous block from which it was easy to make sections 1.5 μm thick. Staining could be localized far more precisely in these setions than in paraffin sections owing to the thickness of the semithin sections and to the excellent structural preservation of cellular components.