Plastination Technique in Laboratory Rats: an Alternative Resource for Teaching, Surgical Training and Research Development

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Nicolás Ernesto Ottone; Vanina Cirigliano; Marianela Lewicki; Homero F. Bianchi; Santiago Aja-Guardiola; Rubén Daniel Algieri; Mario Cantin & Ramón Fuentes

Summary

Today, alternatives methods are developed for the use of laboratory animals for teaching, research and surgical training. In our work we present a novel alternative to the use of rats, by developing a technique of plastination at room temperature. High-quality rat preparations from the anatomical dissection point of view were obtained, in order to indefinitely preserve them dry, the thoracic and abdominal organs conserve its natural volume and shape, maintaining their texture and color. No odors or hassles and toxic vapors of conventional preserving agents were found. This technique allows the collection of dry, completely biosafe and durable specimens in a short time and with excellent quality. Plastination in laboratory rats complements undergraduate and postgraduate anatomy studies perfectly. Also, radiology and surgery may benefit from this technique.

KEY WORDS: Plastination; Room temperature; Laboratory animals; Rats.

How to cite this article

OTTONE, N. E.; CIRIGLIANO, V.; LEWICKI, M.; BIANCHI, H.; AJA-GUARDIOLA, S.; ALGIERI, R. D.; CANTIN, M & FUENTES, R. Plastination technique in laboratory rats: An alternative resource for teaching, surgical training and research development. Int. J. Morphol., 32(4):1430-1435, 2014.