Abstract
Masson’s Trichrome Staining (MTS) is a useful tool for analyzing fibrosis in a plethora of disease pathologies by differential staining of tissue components. It is used to identify collagen fibers in different tissues like heart, lung, skin, and muscles. Especially in cardiac fibrosis, MTS stains the collagen fibers (blue color), which helps in the distinction of scar area versus the healthy area (red color). However, there are several challenges to stain both paraffin-embedded sections and frozen (cryosections) using a single protocol. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop a simple short protocol to assess cardiac fibrosis in both paraffin-embedded and cryo heart sections. MTS uses three different stains, i.e., Weigert’s Iron Hematoxylin, Biebrich scarlet-acid fuchsin, and aniline blue to detect nuclei, cytoplasm, and collagen, respectively. In this study, we developed a simple short protocol that can be adapted by any lab to easily assess cardiac fibrosis in paraffin and frozen heart sections. Furthermore, we have addressed the challenges that are commonly faced during the immunostaining process and troubleshooting techniques. Overall, we have successfully developed a simple one-step protocol to assess myocardial fibrosis in paraffin-embedded and frozen cryosections.
Highlights
Myocardial infarction (MI) occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque ruptures in the inner lining of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery leading to the blockage and restriction of blood flow and oxygen supply to the left ventricular heart muscle [1,2]
A billion cardiomyocytes are lost in a single ischemic cardiac event, which eventually leads to the formation of a non-contractile fibrous scar tissue [2,3]
The size and thickness of the scar tissue provides an estimate of the extent of MI and loss of cardiac function [4]
Summary
Myocardial infarction (MI) occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque ruptures in the inner lining of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery leading to the blockage and restriction of blood flow and oxygen supply to the left ventricular heart muscle [1,2]. A billion cardiomyocytes are lost in a single ischemic cardiac event, which eventually leads to the formation of a non-contractile fibrous scar tissue [2,3]. The size and thickness of the scar tissue provides an estimate of the extent of MI and loss of cardiac function [4]. Collagen type I is upregulated in the scar tissue compared to the healthy heart tissue [7]. This differential expression of collagen can be used to determine the extent of fibrosis in ischemic heart tissues
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
