Two rapid and simple methods used for the removal of resins from 1.0 micron thick epoxy sections

Ultrathin epoxy sections are commonly used in electron microscopy. More useful information can often be obtained by examining thicker 0.5--3.0 micron) resin sections under the light microscope. However, there are some histological stains that are unable to penetrate these resins. This short note describes the easy and rapid preparation of two resin-removal solutions which allow subsequent staining of 1.0 micron thick sections without obvious tissue damage and with excellent results using standard histological dyes.