A Modified Technic of Staining Elastic Tissue for Electron Microscopic Study
By electron microscopy elastic tissue appear electrolucent in osmium fixed unstained grids as well as grids stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate (UA + LC). Albert and Fleischer have studied aorta of mice with metalloporphyrins imparting conspicuous electron density to the elastic tissue. We are reporting here a modified method of electron microscopic (EM) study of the elastic tissue using metalloporhyrin, silver tetraphenyl porphyrin sulfonate (STPPS).We have studied the renal arterioles of rats and human in normal and diseased states. Elastic tissue of the aorta from young normal rat served as control for this study. Renal and aortic tissues were fixed in 4 percent glutaraldehyde, post fixed in 1 percent osmium tetroxide and embedded in spurr (blocks). From the blocks of renal tissue, 0.5 μ sections were cut, stained with methylene blue and azure II and studied by light microscopy.