Usage of coconut oil as a biofriendly xylene substitute in tissue processing and staining

Abstract

Background: Xylene is colorless flammable liquids that is extensively used in stock pathology, however it is carcinogenic & neurotoxic. Hence, need to identify safer substitute of xylene is necessary. Aim: The aim of study was to determine efficacy of Coconut oil as a biofriendly substitute for Xylene as a clearing and dewaxing agent. Materials and methods: 70 soft tissue specimens were divided into equal halves which were processed simultaneously in xylene and coconut oil as clearing agents. Samples obtained after processing were observed for following parameters:- Rigidity, Tissue shrinkage and Translucency. Paraffin blocks were prepared and two serial sections were obtained from each block. During sectioning tissue samples were observed for Nicks and Ribbons. After sectioning, one section was stained by standard hematoxylin and eosin using xylene while other section was stained by standard hematoxylin and eosin using Coconut oil as dewaxing and clearing agent. Tissue were evaluated using following parameters:- cytoplasmic staining, Nuclear staining, Uniformity of staining, Clarity of staining, Crispness of staining and cell morphology criteria by 3 independent oral pathologists. Kappa test and Chi-square test were done.