The Different Techniques for Tissue Observation

Part of the need to study living things and their life form is to analyze their body structures and parts. A cell is the smallest component of a living creature. However, when a group of cells work together, they form tissues. Tissues are present both in plants and animals and they are classified according to kind, structure, and function.

Tissues cover the organs and protect them in the process. There are also tissues whose primary job is to hold bodily structures together. But more importantly, there are tissues that when combined together form vital organs. Examples of such are the peripheral nervous system, spinal cord, and even the brain.

One important need to study tissues is the fact that doing so may confirm a person’s or an animal’s disease, eventually carry out accurate diagnosis, and finally, propose a cure for it. To optimally observe tissues, there are different techniques, strategies, and procedures that have to be learned and performed.

Wax Block

One of the most popular tools used to observe tissues is the wax block technique. Paraffin wax is used to construct tissue micro arrays so that it can be viewed and observed accordingly. This tissue observation technique is also known as the TMA or the tissue micro array technology. This technique allows for the representation of several hundreds of tissue samples on a standard microscopic slide.

To apply the wax bloc tissue observation technique, small cores of paraffin wax, which are normally sized 0.6 millimeter in diameter that has embedded tissue samples, are arrayed in a receiving wax block. The array needs to be cut in precise sections as assessed by a special application to used properly.

Tissue Staining

Tissues, in their natural form, are colorless. And so to enhance their contrast and accurately view the tissue sections, they are normally stained. Colored agents such as chromophores are used for this purpose. Once the tissues are stained, it becomes possible for the observer to see them under microscopic examinations.

However, for electron microscopes, colored agents cannot be used. Instead, salts with heavy metal base and electron-dense formula are employed. Examples of these salts or agents are uranyl acetate and lead citrate.

For laboratory applications, the different tissue stains that can be used by students and professionals, depending upon what their viewing device is, includes Lee’s stain, Mallory Trichrome, PAS, PTAH, silver stains, and Sudan stains. Wright stain, and Verhoeff stain are equally popular choices as well. Nonetheless, the most commonly used tissue stains are the general purpose ones like the Hematoxylin and Eosin, or simply the H&E stain.

Optical Microscope

Optical microscopes are the simplest types of microscopes. These devices use visible light wavelengths to function. Tissues are microscopic; therefore it cannot be seen by the naked eye. In order to observe it correctly, the use of high power magnification, which incidentally can be delivered by an optical microscope, is required.

Microscopes are very closely associated to the study of living things. And it follows that microscopes are needed before tissues can be observed. Tissues, cells, and other minuscule entities are best viewed only through this device. Right now, there are different microscopes available in the market, and each of them varies in complexity, power, and technology.

Electron Microscopy

Electron microscopes are a special type of microscope. It belongs to the more complex classification of microscopes available in the market today. Instead of using light, these types of microscope use electrons to illuminate and produce a clear image of the specimen under observation.

Compared with regular light microscopes, electron microscopes have a much higher resolving and magnification power. It can even magnify a specimen to as high as 2 million times than its original size. Small objects such as tissues and cells can be viewed in greater detail when using electron microscopes.

Immunofluorescence

Immunofluorescence is the use of fluorescent dyes instead of the regular tissue staining compounds. This method is commonly used for visualizing the sub-cellular distribution of bio-molecules. But this technique is also well used to observe tissue sections that need to be studied.

The immunofluorescence technique employs the use of fluorescence microscope. This type of microscope, on the other hand, is mainly used to study the properties of both organic and inorganic substances. It is a complex type of microscope and is normally coupled with a digital camera.

These are the different tissue observation techniques that both students and professionals can make use of. Mastery of these techniques will lead one to a more accurate take on the structure, composition, and form of the tissue specimens being observed. Understanding tissues commensurate understanding life’s simplest form.