Fomblin

This page is meant to be a collection of notes on Fomblin with regard to the LCN's standard operating protocol for ex vivo samples.

Background: Fomblin is the name brand of a fluoropolymer produced by Solvay Specialty Polymers S.p.A. that has been used since 1998 (Huang, G. Y., et al., 1998) as an immersion solution to improve MR-imaging SNR in tissue samples. The fluoropolymer uniquely lack's any MR-signal but has magnetic susceptibility similar to that of tissue, which results in MR-images with high SNR & CNR between the Fomblin and any suspended tissue. Since the use of Fomblin in MR-imaging is still quite young, the impact of the solution on tissue properties is unknown. We are maintaining this wiki page to document the following 5 levels of ex vivo processing with Fomblin to record any personal and literature-based experiences with the solution.

5 levels of the ex vivo procedure where Fomblin can impact tissue:

  1. Packing
  2. Scanning
  3. Post-Processing
  4. Histology
  5. Tissue storage

Contents

  1. Fomblin
  2. Packing
    1. Galden HT200
  3. Scanning
  4. Post-Processing
  5. Histology
    1. Hyare et al., 2008
  6. Tissue Storage

Packing

Galden HT200

From email correspondence with Brain Edlow (03/28/17): We were initially using Fomblin LC08 from Solvay Solexis. Solvay Solexis stopped selling Fomblin LC08 a few years ago, so we transitioned to using Kurt J. Lesker products. Initially we used Fomblin 06/6 from Kurt J. Lesker. However, the specific gravity of Fomblin 06/6 was slightly higher than that of LC08, and as a result it was more technically challenging to pack whole brains in this fluid within an air-tight plastic bag for ex vivo MRI. We therefore transitioned to Galden HT200 (Galden is just a brand name of a Fomblin product) because of its lower specific gravity, which has made the brain packing process go more smoothly. I don't believe that anyone in our lab has noticed any differences in the quality of the imaging data acquired with these three slightly different fomblin solutions.

Scanning

Post-Processing

Histology

Hyare et al., 2008

Hyare et al., 2008 found that storing tissue in Fomblin for 2 days prior to MRI had no effect on scan or histology results when compared to matched samples stored in 10% formol-saline.

Synopsis: Formalin-fixed mouse brain tissue placed in Fomblin for 2 days prior to T1, T2, DWI, and MTR scans @ 9.4T produced the same results as formalin-fixed controls placed in 10% formol-saline solution 2 days prior to scanning. Both were scanned in Fomblin. They compared ROI-based quantitative MR measures, anatomical & cellular histology, and immunohistochemical staining.

Tissue Storage