Volume : 8, Issue : 3, March - 2019

Evaluation of coconut oil as a ecofriendly alternative to xylene in the histopathology laboratory

Dr. Shalini Kuruvilla

Abstract :

Aim :To compare the efficacy of coconut oil to xylene as a deparaffinising and de-alcoholising agent Methods: Forty formalin fixed tissues were divided into groups A and B. Conventional tissue processing using xylene (Group A) and coconut oil (Group B) were run in parallel.. . Sections were stained using conventional Haematoxylin and Eosin . Slides were scored for Nuclear and Cytoplasmic staining, Clarity and Intensity Results: Good nucleocytoplasmic staining was observed in 100% of sections in both the groups. Adequate uniformity, clarity and intensity of staining observed in 100% of group A sections and 98.3% in group B. Coconut oil cleared tissue sections was superior in translucency when compared to xylene. Staining quality was as good as xylene. Conclusion: coconut oil showed excellent results in tissue processing and is a ecofriendly alternative to xylene.