Embedding Tissue by Freezing

Frozen fixed tissue is sectioned in a cryostat also known as a microtome in a freezer. The tissue is fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, rinsed, and then cryoprotected by infiltration in 20% sucrose in buffer with agitation overnight at 4°C (cold room). After 24 h the tissue blocks will sink in the solution, indicating that they are infiltrated. This infiltration step is critical. If skipped, the tissue will freeze with damaged cells and holes from ice crystals, and the resulting tissue sections on microscope slides will be brittle and might crack. The tissue must be fixed first to hold the cells in place, as cryoprotection and freezing without fixation will destroy the tissue. 

Following infiltration with sucrose, the next step is freezing the tissue so that it will be held solid during the sectioning. There are a wide range of methods used for freezing tissues we will look at the strengths and weaknesses of several of these methods. 

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