Flat plastic embedding and precise longitudinal sectioning of isolated testicular seminiferous tubules.
A method is presented for the flat plastic embedding and precise longitudinal semithin sectioning of dissected individual seminiferous tubules. Following standard aldehyde- and OsO4-fixation, individual resin-immersed tubules are polymerized in an exactly flat position between the plan surfaces of a glass slide and an inverted pre-polymerized resin block. Each embedded tubule thus lies directly at the even surface of the resulting block and can subsequently be sectioned along its longitudinal course. The morphology of continuous, up to approximately 20 mm-long tubule segments may thus be immediately surveyed by high resolution light-microscopy and, if required, be studied at the ultrastructural level as well.
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Institute of Anatomy, University of Bonn, Germany.
D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008867:Microtomy / Q000379:methods*; D016613:Plastic Embedding; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013737:Testis / Q000648:ultrastructure