Effects of different fixatives on the TrkB-immunoreactivity in rat brain

摘要

Objective: To find out an effective fixative in immunohistochemistry for high-affinity neurotrophin receptor-tyrosine kinase (Trk) B. Methods: Comparing the results from four groups of adult rats which were fixed by different fixatives before the brain sections were processed for TrkB immunohistochemistry. Results: In the four groups, TrkB immunoreactive cells were observed throughout the whole brain, but the intensity of immunoreactive cells and the background staining exhibited a marked difference among the groups. Conclusion: Using 0.3%-0.5% paraformaldehyde in 75% saturated picric acid 0.1 mol/L di-sodium hydrogen phosphate buffer as the fixative may yield the best quality of TrkB immunoreactivity.