How to fix mouse kidney tissue

[WNelson]

Hi all, I am currently working on kidney histology. I fixed the mouse kidney with formalin for 48hrs followed by parafilm embedding. But when i cut the block, i find that the tissue was pulverized, leaving a big hole on the section. What's the problems? Any thought on this will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

[CanuckPhD]

My first guess would be processing. If you don't spend long enough in the ethanols there dehydration is inadequate and infiltration of the wax is not optimal. How long did you spend in each of the ethanols.

You might also have an issue with the fixation if the processing is good. We usually bisect the kidney along the saggital plane. This allows rapid penetration and fixation of the formalin.