Spinal cord from body donors is suitable for multicolor immunofluorescence

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Histology
• Biomedical Research

Background:

• Human neuronal tissue is crucial for molecular-level research.
• Access to fresh human organ donor spinal cord is limited.
• Anatomical body donations offer a more accessible source of neuronal tissue.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the postmortem time window for valid immunohistochemistry in body donor spinal cord.
• To assess the feasibility of using body donor spinal cord for multi-color immunofluorescence and HRP immunohistochemistry.
• To compare the quality of immunohistochemical data from body donors with organ donors.

Main Methods:

• Harvested spinal cord from organ donors (2 hours postmortem) and body donors (24, 48, 72 hours postmortem).
• Performed multi-color immunofluorescence and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immunohistochemistry.
• Utilized general and specific neuronal markers, along with glial markers.

Main Results:

• High-precision visualization of neuronal elements was achieved in body donor spinal cord up to 24 hours postmortem.
• Image quality from 24-hour postmortem samples was comparable to fresh organ donor tissue.
• Antibody signal quality remained acceptable at 48 hours but degraded by 72 hours postmortem.

Conclusions:

• A postmortem window exceeding 24 hours exists for obtaining valid immunohistochemical information from body donor spinal cord.
• Neuronal tissue from body donors is a practical alternative for basic and clinical neuroscience research.
• This extends research possibilities where fresh tissue is unavailable.