Comparison of Deparaffinization Agents for an Automated immunostainer

Abstract

Two xylene substitutes (a terpene and an isoparaffinic hydrocarbon) were compared to xylene as the deparaffinization agent in an automated immunostainer. Human kidney tissue was stained for cytokeratin with amino-ethyl carbazole as the chromogen. There was no discernable difference in either staining intensity, background staining, or effectiveness of paraffin removal among the 3 clearing agents. There also were no differences among these parameters when the slides were reviewed after 8 mo storage in the dark, with the exception of the staining intensity, whichdiminishedequally withal1 clearing agents. The occupational, environmental, and regulatory aspects of these 3 clearing agents are discussed. (The J Histotechnol 16:367, 1993)

Keywords:

• deparaffinization agents
• immunohistochemistry
• isoparaffinic hydrocarbon