[Conditions for preserving glycogen in smears of isolated cells. II. Cytofluorimetric study of the effect of fixation on the glycogen content of cells].

The influence of fixation on the intensity and specificity of the fluorescence of PAS-reaction (F-PAS) in the rat's liver cells was examined. 1.4 types of fixatives, routinely used in polysacchride cyto- and histochemistry, were tried: 100% metanol, 100% and 80% ethanol, acetone, 10% neutral formalin, buffered neutral formalin, mixtures of various fluids: ethanol : acetone (1 : 1), ethanol : formalin (9 : 1), ethanol : acetic acid (3 : 1), formaline : ethanol : acetic acid (1.0 : 8.5 : 0.5), fixatives of Carnoy, Bouin, Rossman and Shabadash. The cell fluorescence intensity after F-PAS reaction with Schiff's reagent auramine--SO2 and the cell autofluorescence were measured cytofluorometrically. It was shown that all the fixatives, besides Bouin's and Shabadash's fluids provide rather good preservation of the cell glycogen. Results obtained from the cytofluorometry of F-PAS reaction, autofluorescence and from the morphological studies of F-Pas stained cells, suggested that the best fixatives were 100% metanol and 100% ethanol.