A monomeric methyl and hydroxypropyl methacrylate injection medium and its utility in casting blood capillaries and liver bile canaliculi for scanning electron microscopy.

A mixture of 50-60% monomeric methyl methacrylate and 40-50% monomeric 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate was supplemented with 1.5% benzoyl peroxide (catalyst) and 1.5% N,N-dimethylaniline (accelerator) and injected into glutaraldehyde-perfusion fixed rat hypophyseal and other endocrine organ blood vessels and biliary tracts. This injection medium rapidly polymerized at room temperature and did not require partial polymerization prior to injection. Good casts of blood vessels, including the hypophyseal capillaries, were obtained for scanning electron microscopy. The monomeric methacrylate medium possesses a great advantage over previous ones, as its fluidity enables the casting of very fine vessels such as bile canaliculi. In the case of non-fixed tissues, the monomeric methacrylate medium should be injected carefully, as it is toxic and destructive to the vessels.