The detection of islet-cell antibodies by immunofluorescence in Bouin's-fixed, paraffin-embedded human pancreas.

Pancreatic islet-cell antibodies have been demonstrated in the sera of insulin-dependent diabetic patients, with or without polyendocrine disease, by immunofluorescent microscopy in which cryostat sections of fresh-frozen human pancreas were used as the substrate. In the present study we used sections of Bouin's-fixed, paraffin-embedded, trypsin-treated human pancreas as the islet-cell substrate and compared the results to those obtained with cryostat sections. Twenty-four sera from insulin-dependent diabetic patients, one serum from a non-insulin dependent diabetic patient and five sera from normal individuals were tested. With serum samples containing islet- cell antibodies, Bouin's-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue produced a more intense fluorescence, was easier to use and was more sensitive than the conventional cryostat method.