Zyagen has been offering a comprehensive full range of histological services for routine and research since 2000. Tissues and cells are provided by customers. Zyagen can also provide large variety of tissue types of many species for histology work requested by customers. Our customers are from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic, federal and preclinical research organizations. Our laboratory is a fully equipped histology facility which is staffed by well-trained professional histologists with many years of experience.  Our dedication of providing high quality histology services with affordable competitive pricing and fast turn-around times make Zyagen laboratory one of the most reliable sources for histology services. No request is ever considered too small or too large.

Histology Services Provided by Zyagen:

1. Routine Histology Services
2. Specialized Tissue Sectioning Services
   • Brain Tissue sectioning
   • Embryo Tissue sectioning
   • Cells and Organoids processing and sectioning
   • Bone Decalcification and sectioning
   • DNA and RNA Extraction from FFPE
3. Comprehensive Special Staining Services
4. Immunohistochemistry and Immunofluorescent Services
5. TUNEL Assay Services

Routine Histology Services

Tissue processing, embedding, sectioning, and staining for routine and research

• Tissue trimming
• Tissue Fixation in any fixative of your choice at optimal fixation time
• Tissue processing, embedding and sectioning (paraffin and/or frozen)
• Bone Decalcification and sectioning (paraffin and/or frozen). Click her for more detail
• Tissue embedding in paraffin blocks for microtome sectioning
• Tissue embedding in OCT blocks (fresh or fixed tissue) for cryostat sectioning
• Cells processing for paraffin or frozen sectioning. Click her for more detail
• Tissue sectioning by Microtome or Cryostat at standard or customized thickness depending on your protocol
• Mounting sections on positively charged slides or any other treated slides of your choice.
• Floating sections captured in wells of tissue culture plates or tubes.
• Processing intestine and colon tissues for Swiss Roll embedding and sectioning
• Processing biopsy, implant, and tumor tissues for paraffin and/or frozen sectioning.
• Computer labeling of slides
• Special handling of specimens for genomic testing and nucleic acid preparation to eliminate contamination and degradation.
• Routine Hematoxylin/Eosin (H&E) and toluidine blue staining

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Specialized Tissue Sectioning Services

Cells and Organoids Sectioning Services (paraffin and frozen sections):

• Collecting cells or organoid pellets shipped to us in tubes, vials, or culture plates
• Fixation of pellets in any fixative requested by customers and optimizing fixation time.
• Inclusion of cell/organoid pellets in agarose or Histogel (if requested) before embedding in paraffin or frozen blocks.
• Processing and embedding cell/organoid pellets in paraffin for microtome sectioning or in O.C.T. for cryostat sectioning.
• For frozen sections, cells/organoids are incubated in 30% glucose in PBS for at least 24hour before embedding in OCT. This is just to avoid ice crystallization.
• Sectioning cell/organoid blocks at any thickness suggested by the client
• Mounting sections on positively charged slides (at least 2 sections per slide).
• Perform H&E or any other histology staining.

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Brain Tissue Sectioning service: processing brains of multiple species including mouse, rat, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig, dog, human, primate, and large animals for embedding and sectioning (paraffin and frozen sections) at any brain region or nucleus of your choice.

• Harvesting brains from fixative-perifused and non-perifused rats or mice (any strain) at any age. Animals are provided by Zyagen or shipped to Zyagen from customers.
• Fixation of brain tissues in any fixative suitable for client application and optimizing fixation time.
• Processing and embedding brains of any species including laboratory animals, human, primate and large animals in paraffin for microtome sectioning or O.C.T. for cryostat sectioning.
• For frozen sections, brains are incubated in 30% glucose in PBS for at least 24 hour before embedding in OCT. This is just to avoid ice crystallization.
• Sectioning brains at any region/area/nucleus in any orientation (coronal, sagittal, or horizontal) at any thickness
• Mounting sections on positively charged slides or any slides requested by customers
• Thick brain floating sections. Frozen tissues are sectioned in any brain region at any orientation at a thickness of 20 to 100 microns and shipped in culture plates or tubes. Thick frozen sections are ready for immediate use for immunostaining in culture dishes/tubes or any other applications.

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Embryo Tissue sectioning service: processing and sectioning whole mouse and rat embryo at any embryonic stage (paraffin and frozen sections):

• Harvesting whole embryos from precisely time pregnant rats or mice. Animals are provided by Zyagen or shipped to Zyagen from customers.
• Fixation of embryos in a any fixative requested by clients and optimizing fixation time.
• Processing and embedding embryos in paraffin for microtome sectioning or in OCT for frozen sections.
• For frozen sections, embryos are incubated in 30% glucose in PBS for at least 24 hour before embedding in OCT. This is just to avoid ice crystallization.
• Embryo sections are customized to include any embryonic tissue of your choice.
• Mounting sections on positively charged slides (at least 2 sections per slide).

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Bone Decalcification and Sectioning services:

• Bones provided by customers or freshly harvested from animals are cleaned from soft tissues.
• Bones are processed with or without bone marrow (up to customer).
• Bones are fixed in 10% NBF or any other fixatives of your choice for 24-48 hours.
• Bones are decalcified in EDTA, acids or any other decalcification agents of your choice.
• Decalcification correct end-point time is determined by daily manual inspection of bones and by ammonium hydroxide/ammonium oxalate test.
• Bones are then embedded in paraffin for microtome sectioning or OCT for Cryostat sectioning.
• Bones are sectioned in cross or longitudinal orientation.
• Mounting sections on positively charged slides.

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DNA and RNA Isolation and purification from FFPE and Formalin-fixed tissues:

• RNA and DNA are extracted from archival paraffin sections, paraffin blocks, or formalin fixed tissues provided by customers.
• RNA/DNA are ideal for many downstream applications.
• For paraffin blocks, we can section blocks and use some sections for RNA/ DNA extractions and if requested some other for H&E and/or other immunostaining for further experiments.
• For formalin fixed tissues, we can take small piece for RNA/DNA extraction and if requested the leftover of tissue will be processed for paraffin embedding and sectioning for further H&E and immunostaining experiments.
• Quality of RNA and DNA will be verified by spectrophotometer for the ratio of 260/280 and 260/230 and by denatured agarose gel for ribosomal RNA   analysis.
• Quality of RNA and DNA is also determine by PCR implification using house-keeping genes primers.

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Comprehensive Special Staining

• Alcian Blue (pH 1.0) Stain:For visualization of highly acidic Mucins. Muclin stain blue, nuclei red
• Alcian Blue (pH 2.5) Stain:For visualization of acidic Mucins. Muclin stain blue, nuclei red
• Alcian Blue-PAS Stain (combine properties of Alcian blue and PAS staining): For visualization of acidic and neutral mucins. Acidic mucins stain blue while neutral mucins stain purple to red.
• Alizarin Red Stain: For visualization of calcium in tissue sections. Calcium deposit stain red.
• Amyloid Stain (Congo red): For visualization of of amyloid in tissue sections. Amyloid stain red to pink
• Calcium Stain (Modified Von Kossa): For visualization of calcium deposits in tissue sections. Calcium in mass deposit stain black and in dispersed deposit stain gray.
• Elastic Stain (Modified Verhoff’s):For visualization of elastin in tissue sections. Elastic fibers stain black.
• Golgi-Cox Stain: For visualization of neuronal dendrites and dendritic spines of neurons. Neuron stain black
• Gram Stain (Modified Brown & Brenn): For visualization of gram positive bacteria.
• Jones Stain (For Basement Membrane): For visualization of the basement membrane and reticular fibers in tissue sections. Masment membrane and fiber stain black, nuclei red
• Luxol Fast Blue Stain: For visualization of myelin/myelinated axons and Nissil substance in tissue sections. Positive
• Mucicarmine Stain (Modified Southgate’s): For visualization of acid mucopolysacharides in tissue sections. Mucin stain pink/red, nuclei black/blue.
• Nissl Stain: For visualization of Nissl body in the cytoplasm of neurons. Staining is blue.
• Oil Red O Stain (For Fat): For visualization of fat cells in tissue sections. Fat cells stain red, nuclei blue.
• Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) Stain: For visualization of polysaccharides such as glycogen, and mucosubstances such as glycoproteins, glycolipids and mucins in tissue sections. Positive PAS stain magenta. Nuclei stain black/blue.
• Picro-Sirius Red Stain (For Collagen): For visualization of of collagen I and III fibers in tissue sections. Collagen stain red and muscle fiber yellow
• Reticulum Stain (Modified Gomori’s): For visualization of reticular fibers in tissue sections. Reticulum stain gray/black and nuclei pink/red.
• Safranin O Stain: For visualization of cartilage, mucin, and mast cell granules. Cartilage, mucin, mast cell granules stain orange to red, cytoplasm green and nuclei black.
• Toluidine Blue Stain: For visualization of nucleic acids and highlight components in tissues such as mast cells granules, mucins, and cartilage. Nucleic acids stain blue, mast cells stain red purple (metachromatic staining) with blue background.
• Trichrome Stain (Blue): For visualization of collagenous connective tissue fibers in tissue sections. Collagen muscle fibers stain brighter blue and muscle fibers red
  Trichrome Stain (Green): For visualization of collagenous connective tissue fibers in tissue sections. Collagen muscle fibers stain green and muscle fibers red
  Trichrome Stain (Modified Gomori’s): For visualization of collagenous connective tissue fibers in tissue sections. Collagen muscle fibers stain blue  and muscle fibers red
  Trichrome Stain (Modified Masson’s): For visualization of collagenous connective tissue fibers in tissue sections. Collagen muscle fibers stai blue and muscle fibers red