The necessity of obtaining high-quality samples supplying correct information in histological and histopathological examinations is evident, also anyone with an interest in these fixatives needs to know their characteristics and how they work, which will greatly help them in choosing the appropriate fixatives for particular uses. This study aimed to assess the influences of five common fixatives, which include 10% NBF, Bouin’s, Carnoy’s, Zenker’s, and Clarke’s fixatives, on liver tissue at five distinct fixation durations, inclusive of 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours. Routine histological preparations included H and E stains to evaluate the quality and structure of the tissues. Competitive results exhibited that amongst all the fixatives, Formalin and Zenker,s had higher effectiveness for short-term fixation (6,12 and 24 hrs). For Bouin’s fluid, the tissues were far more preferable at 12- and 24-hours fixation, while Carnoy’s and Clarke’s solutions were preferred at 6- and 12-hours fixation. The efficiency of these fixatives was also poor after forty-eight hours, as the tissue became hard and crumbly. This study has made practical suggestions about the best use of each of the fixation’s types and fixative time, generally all results were needed to emphasize the choice of suitable fixatives and fixation periods depending on the histological analysis relevant to various samples.
Keywords | Buffered formalin (10%), Bouin’s fluid, Zenker,s solution, Carony,s solution, Clarke’ssolution, fixation times, Image J