Histochemical tests on lipids in the oral and skin epithelia in the mouse

Summary The present study concerns the application of a new tissue transport medium, Histocon, in lipid histochemical analysis of biopsies. It was generally found that this medium visibly retained more lipids quantitatively than did a fixation of the tissues. The lipid preserving capacity of Histocon seemed to be superior even to the use of fresh frozen specimens. These beneficial effects may be due to membrane stabilizing factors in the transport medium.Two types of lipids were usually found when comparing oral mucosa with epidermis. The mucosa was characterized chiefly by phospholipids with an increasing concentration gradient towards the stratum granulosum. The skin showed, in addition to the similar phospholipid gradient, also the presence of unsaturated hydrophobic lipids in the stratum corneum and granulosum.Supported in part by the Swedish Medical Research Council, grant no. K 73-24 X-3340-02 B.