Plastination of a sperm whale

Low viscosity silicone with less shrinkage for brain slices

Plastination consists of replacing lipid and water with a curable polymer. This technique has numerous advantages, of which the production of non-toxic, inert, highly durable, dry, and easy maintenance and storage specimens stand out. Like all anatomical techniques, plastination also has disadvantages, and one of them is tissue shrinkage. The feasibility of using low viscosity domestic silicone (0,1Pa.s at 20°C) to plastinate brain slices was examined. Twenty humans, 10 millimeters (mm) brain slices were impregnated, ten slices each with two polymers [10 with domestic low viscosity polymer - P1 and 10 slices with Biodur® (0,45-0,6Pa.s at 20°C) S10]. Shrinkage was accessed by volume and area measurements. Volume shrinkage was significantly less in the slices impregnated with low viscosity domestic polymer, demonstrating the feasibility to plastinate brain slices with domestic low viscosity silicone polymer.