Efficacy of Aloe Vera gel and Egg albumin as slide coating adhesives- A Comparative Pilot study

Abstract

Introduction
 The problem with the staining process is the tendency for tissue section to detach from glass slides during the heat treatment used in the further processing of the slides. This has been minimised by the use of slide adhesives. The most commonly used slide adhesives for daily use are gelatine and egg albumin.
 Aim
 To compare the efficacy of Aloe Vera gel as slide coating adhesives with egg albumin.
 Methods
 15 formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks of known histopathological diagnosis were sectioned from the archives of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology for the study, with n= 15 for Aloe Vera gel and n= 15 for egg albumin coating. The Aloe Vera gel was prepared and the slides were coated by the same and the routine staining procedure was done. The slides were viewed under the microscope by two independent blinded observers and grading was done for ease of handling, viscosity, ability to withstand heat and chemicals and adhesion.
 Results
 Our study showed that Aloe Vera gel when used as a slide adhesive was found have more advantage than routine albumin slide coating with a p <0.05 value for ease of handling and absence of background staining.
 Conclusion
 Aloe Vera gel was found to be superior to routinely used egg albumin as a slide coating agent.