ASSESSMENT OF THE ACRYLIC RESIN TECHNOVIT-7200-VLC FOR STUDYING THE GINGIVAL MUCOSA BY LIGHT AND ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

Technovit 7200 VLC is an acrylic resin formulated for embedding undeca lcified hard tissues which are prepared for light microscopy according to a cutting-grinding technique. To employ this resin for embedding a nd cutting soft tissues by ultramicrotomy, we carried out a qualitativ e study on biopsies of canine gingival mucosa using light and transmis sion electron microscopy. For a critical evaluation of this resin, som e biopsies were embedded in Agar 100, an epoxy resin widely used in mo rphological studies. At the light microscopic level the samples embedd ed in Technovit 7200 VLC showed good morphology and excellent toluidin e blue staining of different cell types and extracellular matrix. At t he ultrastructural level, nuclei, cytoplasmic organelles, collagen fib rils and ground substance appeared well preserved and showed high elec tron density. The acrylic resin was stable under the electron beam and its degree of shrinkage appeared to be very low. We conclude that Tec hnovit 7200 VLC can be employed for ultramicrotomy for both light and electron microscopic investigation of soft tissues.