Water-soluble organic solvent improves paraffin displacement in all-in-one epitope retrieval buffers

An all-in-one epitope retrieval buffer was developed to solubilize molten paraffin. This study illustrates that common all-in-one buffer additives such as surfactants and wetting agents do not solubilize molten paraffin but a water-soluble organic solvent (WSOS) does. This study also shows that the WSOS does not negatively impact immunohistochemical staining reactions. The addition of a WSOS into an all-in-one epitope retrieval buffer formulation maintains paraffin in solution when slides mounted with tissue sections are removed from the buffer. This action is an advantage for buffer tanks in which slides are in a vertical orientation; the slides are not recoated with molten paraffin.