Natural sweeteners as fixatives in histopathology: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Background:Fixation is the essential step in histopathological processing of tissues. Since formalin is a corroborated biohazard, its routine use as a fixative is a major health and safety concern and hence the quest for safer alternatives is envisaged. Natural sweeteners like jaggery and honey have proved to be effective tissue preservatives over 24 h. This pioneer eco-idea needs further research to expand its application.Aim:(1) To evaluate the fixative property of jaggery and honey over 6 months and ascertaining the results using hematoxylin and eosin stain (H and E). (2) To evaluate the compatibility of jaggery and honey fixed tissues for special stains - Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and Masson–Trichrome (MT).Materials and Methods:Equal bits of commercially available animal mucosae were preserved in 30% jaggery, 20% honey, and 10% buffered formalin (control) over 6 months at intervals. Following which, tissues were subjected to routine H and E, special stains - PAS and MT using standard operating procedures established in our group.Results:Formalin, jaggery, and honey yielded satisfactory results post 6 months for H and E and special stains, jaggery was comparable to formalin in tissue preservation.Conclusion:We propose the use of eco-friendly jaggery and honey as alternatives to formalin for long term tissue preservation.

Honey as Fixative and Safer Substitute for Formalin in Histology

“…The HMF then forms a cross link with the tissues through the di-Schiff base reaction 12 . Second, Patil et al 1 had stated that fixation occurs when the sugars, largely fructose, are broken down at acidic pH to form aldehydes which in turn forms cross-links with the tissue proteins. This protein cross-linking is similar to the reaction that occurs with the use of formalin 2 .…”

“…Fixation is an important step in tissue processing 1 and formalin is one of the routine fixatives used in histology and pathology laboratories 2,3 . Formalin is also a key preservative in embalming fluids 4,5 and in museum studies 6 .…”

“…Honey's ability to fix tissues is as a result of its antibacterial, antiautolytic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and tissue hardening properties 7,10 . Different authors have established the use of honey as fixative in histology and cytology 1,7,9,10,12 . But there is paucity of data relating the different concentrations to gross long term fixation (preservation) and histological morphology.…”

Tissue Preservation with Natural Fixatives: An Immunohistochemical Evaluation

“…Later in 2015, they verified that it can be used for long-term tissue preservation as well. 6 The present study further investigated the compatibility of JFTs with IHC procedures. The composition and function of each component of jaggery and floral honey are depicted in Tables 1 and 2 respectively.…”

“…1,4 The fixative potential of the natural sweeteners, jaggery and honey, along with their compatibility with the routine and special staining procedures, has been previously demonstrated. 5,6 In the present study, further evaluation of the compatibility and efficacy of the natural tissue fixatives with the IHC procedures was accomplished.…”