American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Histotechnologist Practice Test

Which chemical is known for enhancing wrinkle resistance in textiles and also used in histopathology?

1. Formaldehyde

2. Glyoxal

3. Zinc salts

4. EDTA

The correct answer is: Glyoxal

Glyoxal is the correct choice because it is widely recognized for its applications in textile finishing processes, particularly for enhancing wrinkle resistance. In the context of histopathology, glyoxal is used as a fixative, similar to formaldehyde, but it possesses certain advantages over formaldehyde, such as having less potential for producing harmful fumes and a lower risk of causing adverse reactions in biological tissues. Glyoxal fixes tissues by cross-linking proteins, which preserves cellular structures and morphology, facilitating accurate histological evaluations. This fixing property is beneficial for achieving high-quality tissue preparation in histology. Additionally, it can improve the long-term storage of preserved specimens. The other compounds listed have distinct roles. Formaldehyde is a traditional fixative in histopathology, known for its efficacy; however, it is the one with more safety concerns due to its toxicity. Zinc salts are often used as preservatives and color enhancers, particularly in microscopy, but do not confer the wrinkle resistance associated with textiles. EDTA is primarily a chelating agent used to bind metal ions and is not directly involved in textile properties or tissue fixation. Therefore, glyoxal stands out as both a textile treatment and a histopathology reagent.