Semi-Quantitative Impacts of Major Step on Antigen in Pre-Treatment Required for Immunohistochemistry.

BACKGROUND

We investigated the impact of immunohistochemistry (IHC) pre-treatment steps on antigens.

METHODS

Salmonella typhimurium was selected as the observed antigen. The antigen was subjected to IHC pre-treatment steps involving a series of reagents, including 10% formaldehyde, ethanol, and xylene. Antigenicity was then measured by agglutination reaction.

RESULTS

The agglutination titer for S. typhimurium was higher in the untreated control group than in the experimental group, indicating that pre-treatment inhibited antigen activity. The inhibitory effect of ethanol was greater than that of 10% formaldehyde and xylene. Unexpectedly, partial antigen recovery can be achieved from a preparation of paraffin section after hydration.

CONCLUSIONS

S. Antigens may be strongly inhibited (inhibition: 70.8%) by IHC pre-treatment steps, especially by alcohol treatment. There is an experimental foundation for antigen retrieval in IHC.