Study for the CAMLPR Histology Practice Test. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question has hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Which fixative preserves glycogen and urate crystals but dissolves fats, and is a coagulant, non additive, and intolerant?

Ethanol acts as a simple coagulative fixative that dehydrates tissue and precipitates proteins. This non-aqueous environment helps to lock in glycogen and urate crystals, which are otherwise lost or dissolved in aqueous fixatives. At the same time, ethanol dissolves fats, since lipids are soluble in alcohols. Being a non-additive fixative, it fixes by precipitation rather than cross-linking, and it is considered intolerant because tissues fixed with ethanol require careful handling before any aqueous staining or paraffin processing. Other fixatives listed don’t fit all these properties as neatly. Acetone also dehydrates and extracts lipids, but its ability to preserve glycogen and urate crystals isn’t as characteristic. Zenker’s and Helly’s are additive, mercury- or chromate-containing fixatives that cross-link and behave differently with glycogen, crystals, and lipids, so they don’t match the described combination.

Ethanol acts as a simple coagulative fixative that dehydrates tissue and precipitates proteins. This non-aqueous environment helps to lock in glycogen and urate crystals, which are otherwise lost or dissolved in aqueous fixatives. At the same time, ethanol dissolves fats, since lipids are soluble in alcohols. Being a non-additive fixative, it fixes by precipitation rather than cross-linking, and it is considered intolerant because tissues fixed with ethanol require careful handling before any aqueous staining or paraffin processing.

Other fixatives listed don’t fit all these properties as neatly. Acetone also dehydrates and extracts lipids, but its ability to preserve glycogen and urate crystals isn’t as characteristic. Zenker’s and Helly’s are additive, mercury- or chromate-containing fixatives that cross-link and behave differently with glycogen, crystals, and lipids, so they don’t match the described combination.