Ethanol vapour-fixation of rat lung for immunocytochemistry investigations.

Ethanol-vapour fixation of rat lung has been successfully employed in the immunocytochemical detection of the gastrin mucin antigen termed mucin 5AC without the need of additional antigen retrieval steps. This procedure gives good morphological preservation and provides all the benefits associated with the microscopic examination of inflated lung tissue. This simple fixation technique provides another option for use in immunocytochemical investigations of rodent lung and could be adapted for other species.