ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate whether and what staining techniques are applied to the ultrathin sheet plastination slice and whether the stained specimen is of autofluorescences .Methods A cadaveric hand block was plastinated and then sectioned as a series of 300-400μm thick transverse sections .A total of 56 slices in total .Alternative sections were stained with hematoxylin -eosin staining ( HE) , Verhoeff -Van Gieson staining ( VVG) or methylene blue and azureⅡstaining(MA).The stained slices were examined under a light microscope and a confocal microscope .Results The plastinated slices were stained with the three staining methods .HE staining revealed the muscle and connective tissues were red or violet , bone was violet or blue;VVG staining showed the elastic fibers was black , the collagen was red , and other tissues were yellow .MA staining showed the tendon was violet , the bone was pink , cartilage was violet , and other tissues were purple.However, the intracellular structures appeared not very well stained .The collagen, elastin and muscular structures in the stained slices were observed under a confocal microscope .Conclusion The commonly used histology staining methods can be used to stain the ultrathin sheet plastination slices .The staining provides a better observation of various tissues in the slice than the unstained slice .After staining, those autofluorescent structures in the plastinated slice are detectable under a confocal microscope .