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6112821 
Journal Article 
Fixation and Tissue Processing in Immunohistochemistry 
Baskin, DG 
2014 
Academic Press 
San Diego 
Pathobiology of Human Disease 
3797-3806 
WOS:000444769205048 
This article summarizes the current state of our understanding of tissue fixation and processing with particular emphasis on methods used by research and pathology laboratories. Moreover, the article emphasizes on the aspects of fixation and processing that are of special relevance to immunohistochemistry and molecular analyses. Fixation refers to the chemical and physical processes by which cells and tissues are stabilized and made ready for subsequent histopathological treatments such as slicing and staining. Fixation attenuates postmortem autolysis as well as preserves lifelike morphology and optimizes macromolecules for histochemical and biochemical analyses. Tissue processing refers to methods for preparing slices of fixed tissues for histopathological staining and observation with microscopes. Most commonly, tissues are fixed in solutions containing formaldehyde and embedded in paraffin wax. Formaldehyde not only reacts with tissue molecules, creating cross-links that anchor them in place, but also may render molecules inaccessible to antibodies used for immunohistochemical staining, a blocking process that can be reversed by antigen retrieval methods. Tissues fixed in formaldehyde and embedded in paraffin are used for biochemical, molecular, and immunological analyses of proteins and nucleic acids. Tissues prepared for transmission electron microscopy commonly are fixed glutaraldehyde solutions and embedded in plastic. 
Antigen retrieval; Cross-linking; Fixation; Formaldehyde; Formalin; Histochemistry; Immunocytochemistry; Immunohistochemistry; Paraffin embedding; Tissue processing 
Mitchell, Richard N.