Validation of Controls in Tissue Staining - Literature review Example

For a number of possible variations, there exist other measures that enable safeguarding due to the possibility of defects in the equipment used. There are various categories of tissue stain control agents such as reagent controls that are basically antibodies when tested using control material. Staining procedures during the early years involved the use of readily available reagents such as potassium dichromate, alcohol, and mercury or mercuric chlorides for the purpose of hardening tissues. In some cases, the reagents used included: silver nitrates, Giemsa, and hematoxylin among others.

While there exists a range of staining methods, some methods have not been used because the chemicals involved are toxic and can cause damage to tissues if control measures are not applied (Baker et al. 127). This literature review shows that there have been improvements in the histopathology of staining and the current methods used are less toxic and enable attainment of the objectives of the staining process as well as an examination of tissues. There also exist positive tissue controls that involve tissues with particular antigens at a known level of stability.

The aim of these controls is to provide documentation of correct tissue staining. There also exist internal tissue controls that involve the existence of target antigen in the normal elements of the tissue being investigated. This paper elaborates on the different types of controls involved in tissue staining and how they are applied in diagnostic tasks in the laboratory. Controls contribute considerably towards the interpretation of the stains, and if they are omitted, risks are involved. While it is not practical to develop and run controls for various factors during the analysis of stains, control information in immunohistochemistry and research is important for each valid outcome of the staining process.

When controls are used correctly, they enable understanding of the possibility that the stain protocols were run in a correct manner and enable establishing daily and operator variations in staining.