Delayed Tissue Fixation for as Short as Five Minutes Can Distort Tissue Architecture and Falsify Research Results
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Abstract
Timely fixation is crucial to the preservation of the cellular components of tissues and prevent autolysis and putrefaction. Delayed tissue fixation can adversely affect tissues and engender false negative histopathological results. This study aimed to assess the histology of liver and kidney tissues following time-dependent delays in fixation. Ten male Wistar rats weighing 150-170g were used for this study. Animals were acclimatized for two weeks under standard conditions and divided into 5 groups of 2 rats each (A, B, C, D & E). They were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the liver and kidneys harvested from each group. The tissues for the control group were fixed immediately. For the tissues from rats in groups B, C, D & E, they were allowed delay periods of 5mins, 10mins, 30 mins and 45 mins respectively. All tissue fixation was in 10% formalin. Tissues were processed using the H & E method. The results showed that delay of fixation for as short as 5 minutes produced adverse histological effects, which were more pronounced in the liver tissue than in the kidney tissue. It was concluded from this study that delayed tissue fixation produced a time-dependent adverse effect on the liver and kidney tissues, but the effect was more pronounced in the liver tissue.
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