Paraffin tissue sections are thin histological sections prepared from fixed, dehydrated, paraffin-embedded biological tissues and obtained by microtomy. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue is widely used because paraffin embedding preserves tissue morphology and cellular architecture and facilitates archival storage and repeated sectioning for microscopic and molecular analyses.
Paraffin tissue sections from human and animal species, including commonly studied laboratory and veterinary species, are used in comparative, pathological, developmental, and translational research.
Key Features
-
Preserved Tissue Morphology : Maintains tissue morphology and cellular architecture for histological assessment.
-
Broad Histochemical Compatibility : Compatible with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and a wide range of special histochemical stains.
-
Immunohistochemistry Compatibility : Widely used for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence following appropriate antigen-retrieval procedures when required.
-
In Situ Hybridization Applications : Suitable for in situ hybridization (ISH), including fluorescent ISH/FISH-based methods, for detection and localization of specific RNA or DNA targets within tissue context.
-
Molecular Analysis Compatibility :Can support selected DNA, RNA, and proteomic analyses, although fixation and tissue processing can affect molecular integrity, analyte recovery, and assay performance.
Usual Research Uses
Paraffin tissue sections are commonly used for histopathology, tissue morphology, biomarker localization, cell and tissue phenotyping, disease-model characterization, comparative pathology, and molecular pathology.
