A new fixation technique for the electron microscopic study of pulmonary surfactant

摘要

AbstractPreviously reported methods for the electron microscopic visualization of the surface layer (surfactant) of the alveolar lining cells have proved less than ideal and further development in this area is needed. Two percent agar in glutaraldehyde injected into the respiratory tree concurrently with vascular perfusion seems to offer some real advantage over techniques described by others. The combination of glutaraldehyde and agar acts both as an obstruction that holds surfactant against the alveolar surface and as a fixative due to the buffered glutaraldehyde component. This technique offers more consistent results and more extensive demonstration of the surfactant layer over the alveolar surface.