title: Glycol methacrylate embedding of alginate-polylysine microencapsulated pancreatic islets.
abstract: A method for processing and embedding alginate-polylysine microencapsulated pancreatic tissue in glycol methacrylate resin (GMA) is described. Fixation in 4% phosphate buffered formaldehyde, processing in ascending concentrations of glycol methacrylate monomer and embedding in Technovit 7100 results in well preserved morphological details of hydrogels, hydrogel-cell interfaces, and encapsulated pancreatic tissue. Routine staining with Loeffler's methylene blue, hematoxylin and eosin, and Romanovsky-Giemsa gave excellent images of the GMA embedded alginate polylysine membrane and tissues allowing cells on the outside of the capsule to be analyzed effectively as part of the foreign body reaction against the capsule membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Fritschy
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Gerrits
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Wolters
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pasma
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van Schilfgaarde
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates; D000818:Animals; D005404:Fixatives; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D008689:Methacrylates; D016613:Plastic Embedding / Q000379:methods*; D011107:Polylysine; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D016707:Tissue Fixation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D005404:Fixatives; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D008689:Methacrylates; D011107:Polylysine; C005044:hydroxyethyl methacrylate; D020723:Glucuronic Acid