An improved technique for hyaluronan histochemistry using microwave irradiation

A hyaluronan binding protein (HABP), extracted from cartilage, was biotin-labelled and used for histochemical localization of hyaluronan (HA) in tissue sections. Various tissues were fixed for a mixture of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde during microwave irradiation. The microwave oven when set at 700 W and 45 degrees C yielded an intense and specific staining of HA. Under these conditions the relative proportion of the two aldehydes did not influence the staining intensity. Aldehyde fixation during microwave irradiation for HA histochemistry, (1) save time, (2) eliminates the use of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), and (3) improves the reproducibility.