A 2-STEP EMBEDDING PROCESS FOR BETTER PRESERVATION OF SOFT-TISSUE SURROUNDING CORAL IMPLANTS

Infiltration of paraffin or embedding polymers proceeds more quickly i n soft than in mineralized tissue specimens (bone or biomaterial). The proposed method takes advantage of this difference to protect soft ti ssue from the action of decalcifying agents. After embedding a bone-so ft-tissue sample in a hydrophobic polymer, it is cleared of the resin on one of its sides to permit access of the decalcifying solution to t he mineral component. A second infiltration with another polymerizable solution that cures in the empty pores created by the dissolution mak es it possible to obtain a homogeneous hard block, make thin slices, a nd perform enzyme histochemistry and immunostaining on well-preserved soft tissue with most of its antigenic and enzymatic properties intact . (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.