Plastination

What is the plastination technique?

What is plastinat?

The products obtained as a result of applying the plastination technique to biological materials such as humans, animals and plants are called plastinates. Plastinates do not smell formaldehyde and do not contain other chemical odors, they can be touched directly by hand. At the same time, they preserve the characteristics of the original first tissue for a long time.

What are the steps of plastination technique?

There are four main stages in the standard technique of plastination; tissue fixation, dehydration, impregnation and hardening. In addition to these main stages, many intermediate stages can also be included in this technique.

Tissue fixation: Fixing fluids containing formaldehyde are generally used. After the tissues are identified, their dissection is done in the direction of the target. After the dissection is completed, dehydration begins.

Dehydration: Tissues are soaked in acetone at low temperature and kept. Acetone replaces the water in the cells at low temperature. After it is determined that the tissue is completely free of water by measurement, impregnation is started.

Impregnation: Water-free tissues are deposited in containers containing silicone, polyester or epoxy resins, depending on the intended purpose. The containers are placed in the vacuum device and negative pressure is applied. With the pressure drop, acetone leaves the cells, while the resin enters the tissue. After the acetone is completely removed and the silicone is impregnated, the curing process is started.

Hardening: Tissues are exposed to curing gases, causing the resin to form chains in the tissue. The excess resins that come out of the tissue are wiped off, and after a while, the hardening is completed and plastinate is obtained.