Perfusion Fixation
Perfusion Fixation - Related Videos
08:53
Whole Animal Perfusion Fixation for Rodents
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Cited by 531 •
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.
05:53
Labeling of Blood Vessels in the Teleost Brain and Pituitary Using Cardiac Perfusion with a DiI-fixative
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Cited by 17 •
2019
The article describes a quick protocol for labeling blood vessels in a teleost fish by cardiac perfusion of DiI diluted in fixative, using medaka (Oryzias latipes) as a model and focusing on brain and pituitary tissue.
07:32
Porcine Normothermic Isolated Liver Perfusion
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Cited by 3 •
2023
The porcine model of liver normothermic machine perfusion (NMP), described here, can be successfully used to study NMP as a preservation strategy, a tool for viability assessment, and a platform for organ repair. It holds a high translational value, however it is technically challenging and labor-intensive.
04:44
Antegrade Perfusion Model: An Ex Vivo Technique to Perfuse Isolated Mouse Heart
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2025
This video describes an antegrade perfusion technique of an isolated mouse heart during which a perfusate is injected through the left ventricle, and eventually, it perfuses the entire myocardium. This method can be used to isolate cardiomyocytes from murine models and generate decellularized hearts for further downstream applications.
FAQs
Blood displacement clears the vascular pathway so the fixative can circulate through the organism with fewer blood-related artifacts. Introducing the solution through the heart then provides access to organs through their existing blood vessels. This sequence supports more consistent exposure across tissues and helps preserve anatomical relationships that could be obscured or altered by retained blood.
Formaldehyde and paraformaldehyde preserve tissue by cross-linking cellular proteins. This chemical stabilization helps maintain cell and tissue architecture during later biological analysis, while also preserving molecular targets needed for methods such as immunohistochemistry. Their value in this context comes from reaching organs through the circulation rather than acting only at exposed tissue surfaces.
Perfusion fixation distributes the fixative through the vascular system, allowing it to reach organs rapidly and more uniformly. Immersion alone acts from tissue surfaces, so preservation may be less even across an organ. The vascular route can therefore better limit tissue degradation, blood-related artifacts, and structural distortion while maintaining relationships among anatomical components.
A basic workflow first displaces blood, then introduces the fixative through the heart so it can circulate through the vascular system. Solutions such as formaldehyde or paraformaldehyde are used to stabilize cellular proteins as they reach organs. The resulting preserved specimens can then support histology, microscopy, immunohistochemistry, or other biological analyses.
Perfusion-fixed specimens are useful for histology, immunohistochemistry, and microscopy because they retain tissue architecture and help preserve molecular targets. These features allow investigators to examine cells within their anatomical context rather than relying only on isolated or distorted structures. The technique is particularly relevant when detailed tissue organization is important to interpreting biological observations.
Neuroscience studies often require preservation of anatomical relationships and cellular targets across complex tissue. Perfusion fixation helps maintain those features by delivering fixative rapidly through the vascular system and reducing structural distortion and blood-related artifacts. Preserved nervous tissue can consequently support microscopy, histology, and immunohistochemistry focused on detailed cellular and anatomical examination.