GLYCOL METHACRYLATE EMBEDDING OF ALGINATE-POLYLYSINE MICROENCAPSULATED PANCREATIC-ISLETS

A method for processing and embedding alginate-polylysine microencapsu lated pancreatic tissue in glycol methacrylate resin (GMA) is describe d. Fixation in 4% phosphate buffered formaldehyde, processing in ascen ding concentrations of glycol methacrylate monomer and embedding in Te chnovit 7100 results in well preserved morphological details of hydrog els, hydrogel-cell interfaces, and encapsulated pancreatic tissue, Rou tine staining with Loeffler's methylene blue, hematoxylin and eosin, a nd Romanovsky-Giemsa gave excellent images of the GMA embedded alginat e polylysine membrane and tissues allowing cells on the outside of the capsule to be analyzed effectively as part of the foreign body reacti on against the capsule membrane.