Chen C Y, He T, Mao X L, Friis T E, Qin R H, Jian Y T
Department of Radiotherapy, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, 5100060 Guangzhou, PR China.
Biotech Histochem. 2010 Aug;85(4):231-40. doi: 10.3109/10520290903235445.
Propylene glycol methyl ether (PGME) exhibits excellent solvent and coupling properties. A toxicity database provided evidence suggesting that PGME might be a useful substitute for xylene in histotechnology and histochemistry applications. Tissue specimens were fixed, cleared in either PGME or xylene, embedded in paraffin wax, then dewaxed in either PGME or xylene. Sections were treated with the following stains: hematoxylin & eosin (H & E), three special stains of the Gordon/Sweet silver staining method, PAS, and Masson's trichrome, and immunostains including actin, CD3, CD34, CK, CK7/CK9, Ki-67, and ER/PR. The sections were mounted in a resinous medium consisting of PGME and pinene copolymer, then examined under a microscope. Variables such as water tolerance, dimension change, organic solvency, and anti-fading efficacy also were assessed. Depending on the application, PGME performance was equal to or exceeded that of xylene. PGME provided better optical clarity and nuclear detail, did not harden the tissue samples, conserved tissue antigenicity, and was amenable to resinous mounting. Tissues not dehydrated with absolute ethanol also were processed properly. Tissues treated with PGME did not warp or contract compared to those treated with xylene (p < 0.0001). PGME, however, exhibited less organic solvency than xylene. There was no discernible change in the colors of stains in sections processed with PGME even after storage for two years. These results suggest that PGME is a novel xylene substitute for applications in histotechnology and histochemistry.
丙二醇甲醚（PGME）具有出色的溶剂和偶联性能。一个毒性数据库提供的证据表明，在组织技术和组织化学应用中，PGME可能是二甲苯的有用替代品。将组织标本固定，分别用PGME或二甲苯进行透明处理，嵌入石蜡，然后再分别用PGME或二甲苯进行脱蜡。切片用以下染色剂处理：苏木精和伊红（H&E）、戈登/斯威特银染色法的三种特殊染色、PAS和马森三色染色，以及免疫染色，包括肌动蛋白、CD3、CD34、细胞角蛋白（CK）、CK7/CK9、Ki-67和雌激素受体/孕激素受体（ER/PR）。将切片安装在由PGME和蒎烯共聚物组成的树脂介质中，然后在显微镜下检查。还评估了诸如耐水性、尺寸变化、有机溶剂溶解性和抗褪色效果等变量。根据应用情况，PGME的性能等于或超过二甲苯。PGME提供了更好的光学清晰度和细胞核细节，不会使组织样本变硬，保留了组织抗原性，并且适合树脂安装。未用无水乙醇脱水的组织也能正确处理。与用二甲苯处理的组织相比，用PGME处理的组织没有翘曲或收缩（p<0.0001）。然而，PGME的有机溶剂溶解性比二甲苯小。即使储存两年后，用PGME处理的切片中染色剂的颜色也没有明显变化。这些结果表明，PGME是一种用于组织技术和组织化学应用的新型二甲苯替代品。
