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Perils of Immunohistochemistry: Variability in Staining Specificity of Commercially Available COX-2 Antibodies on Human Colon Tissue

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Abstract

We assessed the immunohistochemical (IHC) staining patterns of three commercially available COX-2 antibodies in human tissues. The location of positive stain in sequential serial 4-μ sections of formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue differed considerably. Staining patterns ranged from diffuse cytoplasmic to occasional perinuclear staining. Thus, marked variability in staining results from use of different antibodies, making it important to consider the antibody used when comparing reports of COX-2 staining from different investigators.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hematology-Oncology Section, Tucson Veterans Affairs Hospital, Tucson, Arizona, 85723

    Harinder Garewal, Lois Ramsey & Ronnie Fass

  2. Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, Arizona, 85724

    Ronnie Fass & Nancy K. Hart

  3. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85724, USA

    Claire M. Payne, Harris Bernstein & Carol Bernstein

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  1. Harinder Garewal
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  2. Lois Ramsey
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  3. Ronnie Fass
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  4. Nancy K. Hart
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  5. Claire M. Payne
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  6. Harris Bernstein
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  7. Carol Bernstein
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Garewal, H., Ramsey, L., Fass, R. et al. Perils of Immunohistochemistry: Variability in Staining Specificity of Commercially Available COX-2 Antibodies on Human Colon Tissue. Dig Dis Sci 48, 197–202 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021871423154

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021871423154

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