Mixture of Kerosene and Xylene: a Contribution to Clearing Agents

Abstract

The aim of this study was to substitute costly and hazardous compound-xylene, used as clearing agent, with less costly compounds ( mixture of xylene and kerosene) having less toxicity and without compromising the cellular integrity and staining characteristics of the sections. Tissues ( liver and kidney) obtained from a presumable healthy adult Wistar rat, were fixed in 10% formol saline, separated in to five groups ( A, B, C, D and E) and processed for light microscopic study adopting H & E staining procedure. During the clearing section, groups A, B, C, D and E were respectively cleared in solvent 1 ( xylene only), solvent 2 (70ml xylene : 30ml kerosene), solvent 3 (50ml xylene : 50ml kerosene), solvent 4 (30ml xylene : 70ml kerosene) and solvent 5 ( kerosene only). Our result revealed that tissues in groups A, B and C were properly cleared without any morphological impairment. The staining characteristics were also observed to be very bright. Groups D and E however presented poor staining intensity with reduced cellular details. Semi-stained transparent patches were also noticed. It is inferred from the present investigation that a mixture of xylene and kerosene could be employed in the clearing of tissues only at the prescribed ratio i.e. solvent 2 and solvent 3 without posing any health risk or compromising the cellular integrity.