Preparation of Thick Sections for Cytochemistry and Electron Microscopy by a Non-freezing Technique

Abstract

AT present thick (∼ 50µ) frozen sections of fixed tissues are commonly utilized for cytochemistry and electron microscopy^1–3 despite the fact that freezing and thawing are known to cause disruption of fine structure and loss of enzymatic activity even in fixed tissues^3,4. These disadvantages have been tolerated since use of sections not exceeding 50µ is necessary to ensure even penetration of incubation media^1,2, and no alternative sectioning method has been available.