Blockade of the antigen-antibody reaction using benzil condensation with the guanidyl residue of arginine

The antigen-antibody reaction in immunohistochemistry

The problems of major concern in immunohistochemical practice are discussed in the following order: (a) the mechanism of the Ag-Ab reaction in fixed tissue as opposed to the in vitro reaction; (b) the chemistry of fixation and its influence on the final result of the immunohistochemical reaction; (c) the various procedures used for antigen retrieval in formaldehyde-fixed tissue; and (d) the consideration of the possible mechanism underlying heat-induced antigen retrieval. Suggestions for further work to attempt a clarification of the mechanism involved in the Ag-Ab reaction in immunohistochemistry resorting to existing histochemical methods for the demonstration of protein side groups are presented, together with some examples already published.

Diacetyl for blocking the histochemical reaction for arginine

Two different histochemical methods for blocking the guanidinium group of arginine in formalin fixed, paraffin embedded material are reported here. One procedure uses diacetyl with short incubation times and high pH, the other uses the trimer of the diacetyl reagent and requires longer incubation times but moderate pH. The diacetyl reagent is recommended despite its high pH because the preparation of the diacetyl trimer is laborious and time-consuming.