Comparison of Microwave Treatment and Pressure Cooker Methods for Antigen Retrieval Techniques in Immunohistochemistry

Background: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a method which is capable of detecting antigens or antibodies on the cells. The antigen antibody complex formed as a result of this reaction can be visualized at a light microscopic level. The main procedure involves application of a primary antibody which is targeted against a selected tissue antigen. Immunohistochemistry implements various polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies which help to identify the tissue location of the disease. Antigen retrieval (AR) is a key step in IHC which can be done by two methods: 1] Pressure cooker treatment  2] Microwave treatment method.  This study aims to compare antigen retrieval efficacy and quality of immunohistochemical sections obtained by these two methods. Methodology: This prospective analytical study will be conducted in the histopathology and immunohistochemistry divisions of department of Pathology, J.N.M.C. Wardha. The study will evaluate immunohistochemical sections during which antigen retrieval would be done either by microwave treatment method or autoclave method in 30 cases. All the cases will be divided in two groups. For Group 1 - antigen retrieval will be performed by microwave treatment method. For Group 2 - antigen retrieval will be done by autoclave method. Qualitative evaluation and comparison of the sections obtained by these 2 methods will be done. Statistical evaluation will be done by SPSS software version 22.0, Prism 6.0 analysis software. Chi square test will be used for comparison. Results: A significant difference is expected in the between the efficacy of antigen retrieval by pressure cooker method and microwave treatment. Conclusion: Conclusions will be drawn on careful analysis of results.