Glycolmethacrylate Embedding (GMA)

Ideal for thin sections of soft tissues as well as soft tissues with harder implant biomaterial (PLA, PGA). This method preserves enzyme activity in tissues however, it is not suitable for mineralized tissues.

Place fresh tissue into either 10% neutral buffered formalin at room temperature or 2-4% paraformaldehyde at a ratio of 20X volume of fixative to tissue sample. Soft tissue should be sliced to the thickness of a nickel (coin) prior to immersion in fixative for optimal penetration of fixative. Fixation in formalin or paraformaldehyde should not be longer than 24 hours at room temperature to prevent overfixation and hardening of tissue sample. After fixation, tissue may be washed 2-3 hours in running tap water and held in 70% ethanol at 4˚C until processed.