What is the Role of Dehydrating and Clearing Agents?
Dehydrating and clearing agents are used to prepare tissue samples for embedding in paraffin wax. Dehydration involves the removal of water from tissues using graded alcohol solutions, typically ethanol. Clearing agents, such as xylene or toluene, are then used to remove the alcohol and make the tissue transparent. This step is essential for the infiltration of embedding media, ensuring that tissues are adequately supported and can be sectioned thinly.
