Microwave fixation of cells in tissue culture.

Use of microwave irradiation has been evaluated for the in situ fixation of cells grown in tissue culture prior to fluorescent antibody staining. The results show total retention of cell protein in the matrix with microwave fixation, whereas 40-50% of the protein is lost during conventional formaldehyde fixation. Fluorescent antibody staining of cells shows that this protein loss reflects cell loss. A further advantage of microwave fixation is that photometric quantitation of fluorescence appears possible by random scanning of fluorescent antibody stained populations.