Question.

How can I prevent wrinkles in sections (0.5 to 2 micrometers) of plastic-embedded tissue stained for light microscopy?

Answer.

The wrinkles form when mounted plastic sections are stained in a hot aqueous dye solution. Chandler & Schoenwolf (1983) found that the wrinkles did not form if sections were dried down onto acid-washed slides, overnight, at 76 C. They thought acid-washing might improve the glass surface in some way. The minimum drying time was 6 hours. The temperature was also important. Variation was not fully investigated, but neither 60 C nor 90 C was efffective in preventing wrinkles.

Reference:  Chandler, NB & Schoenwolf, GC (1983) Wrinkle-free plastic sections for light microscopy. Stain Technology 58: 238-240.

John A. Kiernan,
Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology,
The University of Western Ontario,
London,  CANADA  N6A 5C1
(kiernan[AT]uwo.ca)