Lung Tissue Fixation
Lung Tissue Fixation - Related Videos
06:57
Instillation and Fixation Methods Useful in Mouse Lung Cancer Research
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Cited by 47 •
2015
The goal of this paper is to describe simple methods that will greatly aid in the setup and analysis of mouse lungs with lung cancer or other pathologies. We present 3 protocols to simply and reliably carry out lung instillations, fixation, and lung volume measurements.
05:35
Lung Instillation and Fixation: Introducing Liquid into the Trachea and Fixing Lungs to Measure the Fixed Lung Volume
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2023
This video describes a simple and reliable method of introducing liquid into the trachea for lung instillation, fixation, and lung volume measurement.
10:21
Protocol for HER2 FISH Using a Non-cross-linking, Formalin-free Tissue Fixative to Combine Advantages of Cryo-preservation and Formalin Fixation
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Cited by 3 •
2017
Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) is often required in combination with histopathology and molecular diagnostics for selection of therapy in personalized medicine. A novel non-cross-linking, formalin-free tissue fixative that allows high quality morphologic, molecular and FISH analyses from the same specimen by addition of a post-fixation step before FISH is presented.
08:53
Whole Animal Perfusion Fixation for Rodents
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Cited by 562 •
2012
Here we describe a low-cost, rapid, controlled and uniform fixation procedure using 4% paraformaldehyde perfused via the vascular system: through the heart of the rat to obtain the best possible preservation of the brain.
07:19
Air-Inflation of Murine Lungs with Vascular Perfusion-Fixation
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Cited by 3 •
2021
Presented is a method for air-inflation with vascular perfusion-fixation of the lungs that preserves the location of cells within airways, alveoli and interstitium for structure-function analyses. Constant airway pressure is maintained with an air-inflation chamber while fixative is perfused via the right ventricle. Lungs are processed for histologic studies.
FAQs
Chemical cross-linking is central to lung tissue fixation because it stabilizes proteins after the fixative penetrates the specimen. This stabilization helps preserve cellular relationships while stopping autolysis, the self-digestion of tissue, and microbial degradation. Consequently, microscopic sections are more likely to retain disease-related morphology for later evaluation.
These variables influence how evenly the fixative reaches the specimen and how well the lung’s internal architecture is maintained. Excessive thickness can hinder penetration, whereas poorly controlled fixation time can produce inadequate or prolonged fixation. Inflation is particularly important for preserving alveolar architecture, allowing microscopic evaluation to better reflect the tissue’s structural organization.
Both insufficient and excessive fixation can reduce the quality of downstream analysis, although they do so under different preservation conditions. Inadequate treatment may fail to stabilize the specimen fully, while prolonged exposure can alter tissue characteristics. Either problem can compromise staining and molecular analyses, making results less reliable and complicating interpretation of disease-related features.
A practical workflow begins by controlling specimen thickness, applying a suitable fixative such as neutral buffered formalin, and managing fixation time carefully. Inflation may be used to preserve alveolar architecture. Once stabilized, the tissue can undergo histological sectioning and staining, with immunohistochemistry available when microscopic assessment requires additional cellular or disease-related information.
Properly fixed specimens support histological sectioning and staining for microscopic assessment, as well as immunohistochemistry for examining tissue features through targeted staining approaches. These examinations can help evaluate inflammation, fibrosis, infection, and cancer. The preservation of cellular structure is important because these disease-related findings depend on accurate visualization of lung morphology.
Consistency improves diagnostic reliability by reducing variation caused by specimen handling rather than disease biology. In research, standardized fixation also allows investigators to compare tissue morphology across studies more confidently. This is especially relevant when evaluating patterns of inflammation, fibrosis, infection, or cancer, where differences in preservation could otherwise obscure meaningful structural findings.