Fixatives

Wolf D. Kuhlmann

Division of Radiooncology, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Laboratory Diagnostics & Cell Science, 56112 Lahnstein, Germany

Cells or tissues for histological studies usually need some fixation for stabilization purposes. The many fixation schedules published in the long history of microtechnique are hardly to summarize. Here, we give a selection of traditional and widely employed fixatives (aldehydes, organic and inorganic solutions) including some of the newer fixative formulations. With respect to immunohistology, any kind of fixative can be imagined to be useful for immunostaining.