Equipment
- Microtome
-- ULTRAMICROTOME
- Vibratome
Applications: Sectioning tissue
Ultramicrotome
This is an important equipment to prepare tissue for electron microscopy. The ultramicrotome is used to create "ultra" thin slices of tissue so that it is able to be viewed under an electron microscope. Usually these slices are around 50 nanometers in thickness. It is hard to visualize this thickness but it is extremely thin because the width of a single strand of hair is around 100 thousand nanometers.
Vibratome
Unlike the microtome which uses glass to section, a vibratome will use a vibrating blade to section tissue that is embedded in agarose and submerged in a buffer solution. Therefore, the sections will be thicker than those cut by a microtome.
How to Use a Vibratome:
1. Wash the blade with ethanol solution and wipe off excess with a tissue. Then carefully insert the blade onto the upper component of the vibratome.
2. Fill the boat to the 2/3 level with Tris buffer solution and insert boat into the vibratome.
3. Turn on the vibratome and set the thickness of the section
4. Hold down button until the blade is just above the tissue level.
5. Press start and collect tissue by carefully using a brush with a good tip.
Tips:
- You may pause the vibratome at any time to take a break. The vibratome will start again where you left off so there is no problem.
- The vibratome may not start cutting the sections that you desire right away so wait patiently.
- Make sure you do not touch the blade even when the vibratome is not on.
- Keep the brush away from the blade or the tip may be damaged.
- Always wash the blade before a procedure or the tissue may become contaminated
- You are able to rotate the lamp on the vibratome so keep it at an angle so that the tissue is clearly visible