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Reactions of aldehydes with unsaturated fatty acids during histological fixation

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Synopsis

Formaldehyde reacts with unsaturated fatty acids in tissues during histological fixation. For example, the reaction of formaldehyde with oleic acid gives rise to compounds with the structures shown below. The structures of the major reaction products have been confirmed, but those of the minor products have not been conclusively demonstrated. Esterified unsaturated fatty acids react more slowly, but the reaction is otherwise similar. Acrolein has been found to react in a similar fashion, but the reaction is far more complex.

The occurrence of such compounds in tissues partly explains the loss of lipids during fixation, and raises some interesting possibilities regarding new fixatives and new histochemical reactions.

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  1. N.V. Organon, Oss, Holland

    Dennis Jones

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  1. Dennis Jones
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The experimental work described in this paper was performed in the Departments of Pathology and Applied Biology, University of Cambridge.

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Jones, D. Reactions of aldehydes with unsaturated fatty acids during histological fixation. Histochem J 4, 421–465 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01012533

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