Lowicryl embedding of gastrointestinal tissues

In the present study, we modified the technique described by Altman et al. (J. Histochem. Cytochem., 32:1217-1223, 1984) for rapid embedding of tissues in Lowicryl K4M. To attain good sections of the small intestine that contained villi, crypts, submucosa, and external muscle layers, we cut 100 micron slices of the full thickness of the wall with a vibratome before embedment and then deoxygenated the resin and tissue before polymerization. The sections we obtained compared favorably with the quality of sections from conventional resins.