Visualization of Changes in the Kidneys, Testes, Ovaries, and Uterus of Rats During Plastination, and Their Evaluation by SEM and Histology

(1)

Background

To address formaldehyde-related health hazards and cadaver scarcity in anatomy education, silicone plastination offers a biosafe alternative, yet organ-specific structural responses at each stage remain inadequately characterized. (2)

Methods

This study evaluated sequential microanatomical and ultrastructural changes in rat urogenital organs (kidney, testis, ovary, and uterus; n = 20 Sprague-Dawley rats) across four plastination stages (fixation, dehydration, forced impregnation, and gas curing) using light microscopy (H&E, Alcian Blue-PAS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). (3)