Home › Failure Case Library › FFPE tissue shows no staining from incomplete deparaffinization
Immunohistochemistry (No Staining) moderate

FFPE tissue shows no staining from incomplete deparaffinization

Symptom
Paraffin-embedded tissue sections show no immunostaining. Residual paraffin creates a physical barrier preventing antibody access to tissue antigens.
Common Causes
  1. 1 Insufficient deparaffinization time leaving paraffin residue in tissue
  2. 2 Old or degraded xylene with reduced solvent effectiveness
  3. 3 Incomplete paraffin removal blocking antibody penetration into tissue sections
Solutions
  1. 1 Deparaffinize sections for longer duration
  2. 2 Use fresh xylene for optimal paraffin removal
  3. 3 Perform additional xylene incubation steps (3 changes of 5 min each)
  4. 4 Verify complete deparaffinization by checking tissue appearance before proceeding
Related Video (3)
Bilibili (China-Accessible Mirrors) ★ 92
Immunohistochemistry on Paraffin-Embedded Sections (CST Demo)
"Directly demonstrates IHC on FFPE tissue with explicit focus on antigen retrieval step, which is critical for addressing incomplete deparaffinization issues"
Cell Signaling Technology ★ 85
Immunohistochemistry Protocol for Paraffin embedded Tissue Sections
"CST's comprehensive IHC protocol for paraffin-embedded tissue sections covers the full deparaffinization workflow essential for troubleshooting no-staining failures"
Cell Signaling Technology ★ 78
Better IHC Step 1: Antigen Retrieval
"Focused tutorial on antigen retrieval optimization, directly addressing how proper deparaffinization and retrieval procedures eliminate fuzzy/failed staining outcomes"
Source: abcam.com ↗
← Back to all cases