Replacing xylene with n-heptane for paraffin embedding

Abstract

In standard histological technique, aromatic solvents such as xylene and toluene are used as clearing agents between ethanol dehydration and paraffin embedding. In addition, these solvents are used for de-waxing paraffin sections. Unfortunately, these solvents are harmful and therefore adequate substitutes would be useful. We suggest the use of n-heptane as a convenient substitute for xylene. Paraffin sections of rat tissues processed with n-heptane and stained with hematoxylin-eosin or Masson's trichrome showed proper embedment, well preserved morphology and excellent staining.

Key words::

• n-heptane
• paraffin
• solvents
• tissue embedding
• xylene

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by a grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (CTQ2010-20870-C03-03/BQU), Spain.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.