Comparing the Efficacy of Natural Oils as Clearing Agents in Histopathology Laboratory

Abstract

Introduction: Xylene is used as a clearing agent during tissue processing. It acts as an irritant to humans and poses various health hazards to those who are frequently exposed. According to the literature review, our native Indian oils have the property of a clearing agent. This study aims to evaluate the clearing efficacy of groundnut oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, and castor oil in comparison with xylene. Materials and Methods: Thirty retained oral soft-tissue specimens were subjected to clearing with four different oils (groundnut oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, and castor oil) and control (xylene). Further, these tissue samples were routinely processed, stained, and examined under a light microscope. All the tissue sections were blinded and evaluated for various criteria by two observers and compared with xylene. The physical properties observed for the five clearing solutions were compared using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Intergroup comparisons were done using ANOVA in version SPSS v 17, IL, Chicago software. Results: Among the four oils used, groundnut oil showed comparable results with xylene in its physical properties, ease in section cutting, cellular architecture, and staining quality, followed by coconut oil and sesame oil. Castor oil showed poor results in sectioning; hence, it was considered an ineffective clearing agent. Conclusion: In the present study, groundnut oil excelled among the four oils used and showed good cellular architecture and staining quality. Hence, it can be considered a natural alternative to xylene as a clearing agent and as a dewaxing agent during routine tissue processing procedures.

Keywords

• castor oil
• clearing agent
• groundnut oil
• histopathology
• natural alternatives in tissue processing
• natural oils
• xylene