IHC enzyme antigen retrieval reagent

IHC enzyme antigen retrieval reagent is designed to unmask immunoreactive sites altered by fixation and/or the embedding process.

The most commonly used tissue fixatives are aldehydes, such as formalin, which work by protein cross-linking. Proper fixation of a specimen prevents antigen from being washed out and is a critical aspect of successful IHC staining. Cross-linking can mask antigens, preventing primary antibodies from binding, thus yielding weak staining or false negative results. Immunoglobulins are especially susceptible to formalin fixation. Treatment with a proteolytic enzyme is required to digest excess aldehyde linkages and expose the antigen. The IHC enzyme antigen retrieval reagent is a proteolytic enzyme solution that results in superior staining over traditionally used enzyme pretreatments, such as pepsin and trypsin. Moreover, the IHC enzyme antigen retrieval reagent requires only a brief incubation at room temperature. Performing antigen recovery with the IHC enzyme antigen retrieval reagent will allow you to dilute the primary antibody 5 to 10 fold further and achieve optimal staining.