Cerium-based demonstration of phosphatase activity in plastic-embedded sections: a comparison with conventional methods.

Cerium-based methods have been used for the demonstration of several phosphatases at alkaline, acid and neutral pH in low temperature acetone-fixed, plastic-embedded sections. At alkaline pH calcium is used as capturing agent and the precipitated calcium phosphate converted to cerium phosphate. At neutral and acid pH cerium is used directly as capturing agent. Cerium phosphate is subsequently visualized using the H2O2-DAB method. A comparison has been made with conventional calcium-cobalt and lead methods. It appeared that calcium-cobalt methods are more susceptible to improvement than lead methods.