You did not say whether the MMA sections with polyglycolic acid implant (?)
are thicker sections, polished and ground or microtomed??  

The implant may not pick up any stain but surrounding tissue usually does,
particularly with etched sections (bone uses an acid etch) soft tissues can
be etched to soften the plastic (methylmethacrylate surface staining) in
order to see cells in/around and tissue interfaced with the implant on
thicker sections 100 um or so, and surface stained. 

Have done some plastic type implants that did not pick up stain, the
toluidine blue stain (Eurell and Sterchi, JOH, 1993 or 4) can be used for
surface staining, or sections of tissues in MMA.  At least the contrast
should be sufficient to see the inteface of tissue/implant, even though the
latter may remain clear.  Cells inside the implant would stain.  Methylene
blue/basic fuchsin will probably work also, but the toluidine blue
penetrates the MMA, and into tissues quite well.  Stevenels blue or
Sandersons Rapid Bone Stain may also work, IF you get it to stain dark
enough.  Found the T blue gave better depth of staining, darker than the
Stevenels or RBS, at least in this lab.





   
  

>Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 14:11:06 -0500
>From: Pam Marcum <pmarcum@polysciences.com>
>Subject: RE: Polyglycolic
>To: "Manuel J. Jayo" <jayopai@mindspring.com>, 
>    histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>
>If you can stain the material by normal staining methods you should be able
>to use methylmethacrylate.  It can be removed the same way paraffin is with
>organic solvents or acetone.  Glycolmethacrylate can not be removed without
>destroying the section and most other materials embedded in it.  Pam Marcum
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Manuel J. Jayo [mailto:jayopai@mindspring.com]
>Sent: Monday, February 28, 2000 1:34 PM
>To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Subject: Polyglycolic
>
>
>
>
>Dear HistoNeters
>Does anyone knows if you can stain polyglycolic or polylactic acid devices
>embedded in methylmethacrylate?
>To my knowledge this is not possible.
>Thanks in advance if someone knows and tells me!
>______________________________
>Manuel J. Jayo, DVM, PhD, DACVP
>Senior Pathologist
>Pathology Associates International
>119 Hwy. 801 South
>Suite A-300
>Advance, NC 27006
>336.998.5077
>336.998.3021 FAX
>jayopai@mindspring.com
>http://www.paisaic.com/
>
>
>
>
>
Gayle Callis
Veterinary Molecular Biology
Montana State University
Bozeman MT 59717-3610
406 994-4705
406 994-4303