Antioxidant enriched mounting media – a remedy for fading problem of haematoxylin and eosin stained histology slides’

Histology teaching and research depend on the quality of haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained sections. Over a period, slides fade and become uninterpretable even with good attempts for preservation. One of the principal causes of fading of H&E stained slides is the quality of the mounting media (DPX). Earlier studies have suggested the use of mounting media with added antioxidants to prevent fading in fluorescent staining. For the preservation of H&E stained sections, we utilised antioxidant (1% butylhydroxytoluene) enriched mounting media. The paraffin embedded tissue was sectioned at 5 microns to prepare slides. Each section was stained with H&E. One group of slides mounted with normal DPX while another with antioxidant enriched DPX. The group of slides mounted with antioxidant enriched mounting media showed very less fading when observed after one year on comparison with that of the slides mounted with usual mountant. This finding was consistent even on continuous exposure of slides to natural light for one year. Thus, use of antioxidant enriched mounting media can be a useful technique for preservation of histology slides.