logo
Volume 8 - Pre-proof (Accepted manuscript)                   pbp 2026, 8 - Pre-proof (Accepted manuscript): 0-0 | Back to browse issues page

XML Print


Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:

Ghaderi H, Havasi M, Darvish M, Bakhtiary Z, Soltani S, Nooraei A, et al . Comparative Evaluation of Salvia rosmarinus Extract Versus 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin for Spleen Tissue Fixation: Morphological, Microbiological, and Biochemical Assessment. pbp 2026; 8
URL: http://pbp.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-376-en.html
1- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.
2- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran
3- Department of Anatomy, School of medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.Tuberclosis and Lung Diseases Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
4- Department of Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.
5- Department of Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran. , aref.noraie2012@gmail.com
6- Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Ilam University, Iran
Abstract:   (69 Views)
Objective: Tissue fixation is critical in histopathology for maintaining structural integrity. Despite its prevalence, the toxicity of 10% formalin has prompted the search for natural, non-toxic alternatives. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), rich in phenolic and antioxidant compounds, presents a potential candidate for tissue preservation. This study evaluated the efficacy of methanolic rosemary extract as a fixative for sheep spleen tissue compared to standard formalin.
Methods: Twenty-eight sheep spleen specimens were divided into four groups (n=7) and fixed in either methanolic rosemary extract or 10% formalin for 24 or 48 hours. Following fixation, tissues underwent routine processing and Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining. Histomorphometric analysis was performed to assess morphological preservation and cellular detail.
Results: Histopathological evaluation revealed that rosemary extract provided acceptable structural preservation at both 24-hour and 48-hour intervals. The extract maintained the integrity of the capsule, white pulp, and red pulp, yielding results comparable to 10% formalin. Statistical analysis of cell counts showed no significant differences between the rosemary and formalin groups (P > 0.05). Notably, no evidence of autolysis or significant cellular degradation was observed in the rosemary-fixed samples.
Conclusion: Methanolic rosemary extract serves as a viable, eco-friendly alternative for histological fixation, demonstrating comparable efficacy to formalin in preserving splenic architecture. While these results are promising for routine morphology, further research is required to evaluate its performance in immunohistochemistry and molecular applications, such as DNA/RNA preservation and PCR compatibility.

 
Full-Text [PDF 612 kb]   (24 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Research | Subject: Bioactive Compounds
Received: 2025/11/27 | Accepted: 2025/12/29 | Published: 2026/01/1

References
1. Comanescu M, Annaratone L, D’Armento G, Cardos G, Sapino A, Bussolati G. Critical steps in tissue processing in histopathology. Recent Pat DNA Gene Seq. 2012;6:22–32. doi: 10.2174/187221512799303207
2. Munari E, Scarpa A, Cima L, Pozzi M, Pagni F, Vasuri F, et al. Cutting-edge technology and automation in the pathology laboratory. Virchows Arch. 2024;484:555–566. doi: 10.1007/s00428-023-03713-1
3. Hofmann AW. Zur Kenntniss des Methylaldehyds. Ber Dtsch Chem Ges. 1896;2:152–159. doi: 10.1002/cber.18690020172
4. Musiał A, Gryglewski RW, Kielczewski S, Loukas M, Wajda J. Formalin use in anatomical and histological science in the 19th and 20th centuries. Folia Med Cracov. 2016;56(3):31-40. PMID: 28275234
5. Trillat A. Sur les propriétés antiseptiques de la formaldehyde. C R Acad Sci. 1892;114:1278–1281.
6. Blum F. Notiz über die Anwendung des Formaldehyds (Formol) als Härtungs- und Konservierungsmittel. Anat Anz. 1894;9:229–231.)
7. Fish PA. The use of formalin in neurology. Trans Am Microsc Soc. 1896;17:319–330. doi: 10.2307/3221343
8. Cullen TS. A rapid method of making permanent specimens from frozen sections by the use of formalin. Johns Hopkins Hosp Bull. 1895;6:67.
9. Li Y, Ou J, Huang C, Liu F, Ou S, Zheng J. Chemistry of formation and elimination of formaldehyde in foods. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2023;139:104134. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2023.104134
10. Cheng J, Zhang L, Tang Y, & Li Z. The toxicity of continuous long-term low-dose formaldehyde inhalation in mice. Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology. 2016;38(6):495-501. doi: 10.1080/08923973.2016.1235183
11. European Food Safety Authority. Endogenous formaldehyde turnover in humans compared with exogenous contribution from food sources. EFSA J. 2014;12:3550. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3550
12. Paavilainen L, Edvinsson Å, Asplund A, Hober S, Kampf C, Pontén F, et al. The impact of tissue fixatives on morphology and antibody-based protein profiling in tissues and cells. J Histochem Cytochem. 2010;58:237–246. doi: 10.1369/jhc.2009.954339
13. Patil S, Rao RS, Ganavi BS, & Majumdar B. Natural sweeteners as fixatives in histopathology: A longitudinal study. Journal of natural science, biology, and medicine. 2015;6(1):67. doi: 10.4103/0976-9668.149086
14. de Macedo LM, Santos ÉMD, Militão L, Tundisi LL, Ataide JA, Souto EB, et al. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L., syn Salvia rosmarinus) and its topical applications: a review. Plants. 2020;9:651. doi: 10.3390/plants9050651
15. Al-Sereiti MR, Abu-Amer KM, Sen P. Pharmacology of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Linn.) and its therapeutic potentials. Indian J Exp Biol. 1999;37:124–130. PMID: 10641152
16. Begum A, Sandhya S, Vinod KR, Reddy S, Banji D. An in-depth review on the medicinal flora Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae). Acta Sci Pol Technol Aliment. 2013;12:61–74. PMID: 24584323
17. Lorenzo JM, Munekata PE, Pateiro M, Domínguez R, Alaghbari M, Tomasevic I. Preservation of meat products with natural antioxidants from rosemary. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci. 2021;854:012053. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/854/1/012053
18. Andrade JM, Faustino C, Garcia C, Lemos D, & Comunian TA. Rosemary as functional ingredient in food: Extraction techniques and potential applications. Food Science and Technology International. 2018;24(5):417–428. doi: 10.1177/1082013218771440
19. Mena P, Cirlini M, Tassotti M, Herrlinger KA, Dall’Asta C, Del Rio D. Phytochemical profiling of flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids, and volatile fraction of a rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extract. Molecules. 2016;21:1576. doi: 10.3390/molecules21111576
20. del Pilar Sánchez-Camargo A, Herrero M. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) as a functional ingredient: recent scientific evidence. Curr Opin Food Sci. 2017;14:13–19. doi: 10.1016/j.cofs.2017.02.007
21. International Council for Harmonisation. Impurities: guideline for residual solvents Q3C (R5). ICH Guideline. 2005;4:1–25.
22. Lu Y, Foo LY. Antioxidant activities of polyphenols from sage (Salvia officinalis). Food Chem. 2001;75:197–202. doi: 10.1016/S0308-8146(01)00198-4
23. Viuda-Martos M, El Gendy AENG, Sendra E, Fernández-López J, Abd El Razik KA, Omer EA, et al. Chemical composition and antioxidant and anti-Listeria activities of essential oils obtained from some Egyptian plants. J Agric Food Chem. 2010;58:9063–9070. doi: 10.1021/jf1014416
24. Riedel S. The value of postmortem microbiology cultures. J Clin Microbiol. 2014;52(4):1028–1033. doi: 10.1128/JCM.03102-13
25. Witherell K, White L, Shaw L, et al. Utility of postmortem bacterial culture of abdominal organs at autopsy of young calves. J Vet Diagn Invest. 2023;35(2):182–186. doi: 10.1177/10406387221147558
26. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Performance standards for antimicrobial disk and dilution susceptibility tests for bacteria isolated from animals. 7th ed. CLSI supplement VET01S. 2024.
27. Aiello SE, Moses MA, editors. The Merck Veterinary Manual. 11th ed. 2016.
28. Buesa RJ. Histology without formalin? Ann Diagn Pathol. 2008;12:387–396. doi: 10.1016/j.anndiagpath.2008.07.004
29. Bertau M, et al. Methanol utilisation technologies. In: Methanol: The Basic Chemical and Energy Feedstock. Springer; 2014. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-39709-7_5
30. Yee AWM, Oo PS, Aye SN, Lim WJ, Chee VCX, Krishnappa P. Natural fixatives alternative to formalin in histopathology: a systematic review. Med J Malaysia. 2023;78:98–108. PMID: 36710488
31. Mirzaei M, Eshaghi-Gorji R, Fani F, Karimpour Malekshah A, Talebpour Amiri F. Comparative evaluation of the effect of three types of fixatives (formalin, Bouin and Carnoy) on histomorphological features of various viscera. Anat Histol Embryol. 2023;52:882–889. doi: 10.1111/ahe.12948
32. Albalawi A, Alhasani RHA, Biswas L, Reilly J, Shu X. Protective effect of carnosic acid against acrylamide-induced toxicity in RPE cells. Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;108:543–553. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2017.08.026
33. Aziz E, Batool R, Akhtar W, et al. Rosemary species: a review of phytochemicals, bioactivities and industrial applications. South African Journal of Botany. 2022;151:3-18. doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2022.05.059
34. Meccatti VM, Oliveira JRD, Figueira LW, et al. Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) extract has antibiofilm effect similar to the antifungal nystatin on Candida samples. An Acad Bras Cienc. 2021;93:e20190366. doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202120190366
35. Gotur SP, Kamarthi N, Wadhwan V. Sirka: an alternative to the formalin fixative. Indian J Pathol Microbiol. 2024;67:238–241. doi: 10.4103/ijpm.ijpm_280_22
36. Bhattacharyya A, Gupta B, Singh A, Sah K, Gupta V. Probing natural substitute for formalin: comparing honey, sugar, and jaggery syrup as fixatives. Natl J Maxillofac Surg. 2018;9:14. doi: 10.4103/njms.NJMS_52_17
37. Al-Maaini R, Bryant P. The effectiveness of honey as a substitute for formalin in the histological fixation of tissue. J Histotechnol. 2006;29:173–176. doi: 10.1179/his.2006.29.3.173
38. Nayaka MH, Sathisha UV, Manohar MP, Chandrashekar KB, Dharmesh SM. Cytoprotective and antioxidant activity studies of jaggery sugar. Food Chem. 2009;115:113–118. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.12.015
39. Shashidara R, Sridhara SU. Kitchen microwave-assisted accelerated method for fixation and processing of oral mucosal biopsies: a pilot study. World J Dent. 2012;2:17. doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10015-1123
40. Haizuka Y, Nagase M, Takashino S, Kobayashi Y, Fujikura Y, Matsumura G. A new substitute for formalin: application to embalming cadavers. Clin Anat. 2018;31:90–98. doi: 10.1002/ca.23005
41. Gupta S, Puttaiahgowda YM. N-vinylpyrrolidone antimicrobial polymers: current trends and emerging perspectives. Eur Polym J. 2022;180:111590. doi: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111590
42. Vucevic DD, Seidman MA, Mesaki K, et al. A novel tissue preservation and transport solution as a substitute for formalin. Lab Invest. 2023;103:100198. doi: 10.1016/j.labinv.2023.100198

Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA

Send email to the article author


Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.