In histology, tissue preparation is a critical step that involves the fixation, dehydration, clearing, embedding, sectioning, and staining of tissues. Water is vital in several stages of this process:
- Fixation: Although fixatives like formalin are primarily used, water is often a component of these solutions, helping to maintain the tissue's natural state. - Dehydration: This step involves gradually replacing water in the tissue with alcohols of increasing concentrations. Removing water is essential for embedding tissues in paraffin.
