Microwave Antigen Retrieval in Citrate Buffer

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Abstract
Alterations in tissue antigens during routine aldehyde fixation and subsequent paraffin embedding often require antigen retrieval techniques to enhance or recover immunoreactivity for selected cell peptides. Based on studies published to date, the most promising of these techniquesappears to be one based on microwave heating of tissue sections in citrate buffer. The application of this method to the detection ofdiagnostically relevant determinants depends in great deal on careful control of heating times and attention to tissue morphology. The optimization of the method, with these constraints in mind, can be achieved by monitoring the intensity and distribution of immunohistochemical staining following a series of progressively longer microwave incubations. Practical aspects of this optimization protocol are considered in a review of the method and its limitations.

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