Bee Honey as a Safer Alternative for Routine Formalin Fixation

Background Formaldehyde (10% buffered formalin) is still in use as the gold standard fixative in the field of biology however, as reported by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) the use of formalin causes health hazards due to its toxicity. Hence, we considered to substitute formalin with natural Bee-Honey to achieve a formalin free laboratory for preservation of the biological specimens. Objective To assess the efficacy of honey as a fixative agent for the preservation of the tissue specimens and to study their cellular and structural characteristics by using routine stains, special stains and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and compare its effectiveness with the currently, universally accepted formalin fixation. Method Our study contained sample size of 10 tissue specimens. All samples were fixed in two different solutions one in honey and other in conventionally used formalin solution for 24 hrs in room temperature and then were routinely processed, sectioned and stained using routine, special stains and with immuno-histochemical markers. The slides were viewed by two independent examiners and the entire procedure was blind folded. Result We obtained good comparable results with bee honey for Hematoxylin and Eosin, special stains including immunohistochemistry when compared to formalin fixed tissues. Conclusion Based on the observations of this study, it can be suggested that natural bee honey could be a safer alternative to formalin as a fixative, considering the health hazards of formalin.