Notes on the application of microwaves for antigen retrieval in paraffin and plastic tissue sections

In formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue enhanced or de novo immunostaining can be obtained by microwave boiling of sections in a metal salt or buffer solution. In this paper this new technique is reviewed and important factors influencing final results are discussed. Microwave antigen retrieval can also be applied for immunohistochemistry on plastic GMA sections. Here the action of the microwave method is probably mainly due to breaking the bonds between GMA and proteins prohibiting immunostaining. The microwave methods do not require trypsin treatment.