Inner ear tissue preservation by rapid freezing: improving fixation by high-pressure freezing and hybrid methods.

ABSTRACT: In the preservation of tissues in as 'close to life' state as possible, rapid freeze fixation has many benefits over conventional chemical fixation. One technique by which rapid freeze-fixation can be achieved, high pressure freezing (HPF), has been shown to enable ice crystal artefact-free freezing and tissue preservation to greater depths (more than 40 μm) than other quick-freezing methods. Despite increasingly becoming routine in electron microscopy, the use of HPF for the fixation of inner ear tissue has been limited. Assessment of the quality of preservation showed routine HPF techniques were suitable for preparation of inner ear tissues in a variety of species. Good preservation throughout the depth of sensory epithelia was achievable. Comparison to chemically fixed tissue indicated

SUBMITTER: Bullen A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4152001 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature