The current potential of plastination

Area of Science:

• Anatomy
• Histology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Plastination is a tissue preservation technique that replaces water and lipids with polymers.
• This process results in dry, odorless, and durable biological specimens.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential applications of plastination in research and education.
• To discuss the equipment, cost, and feasibility of plastination processes.

Main Methods:

• The plastination procedure involves fixation, dehydration, vacuum impregnation, and hardening.
• Different polymers (silicone, epoxy-silicone copolymer, epoxy resin, polyester resin) are used to achieve specific specimen properties.

Main Results:

• Silicone-based plastination produces flexible specimens suitable for broad applications.
• Epoxy-silicone copolymers create rigid specimens for thick slices, while epoxy resins yield transparent slices for histology.
• Polyester resin is ideal for opaque brain slices, enhancing gray and white matter differentiation.

Conclusions:

• Plastination offers versatile methods for creating high-quality anatomical and histological teaching specimens.
• The choice of polymer significantly influences specimen properties and applications.
• The review considers the practical aspects of implementing plastination in research and educational settings.