Vol. 10, Issue 5, Part B (2025)

Author(s): Navodita, Anuradha Gupta, Neelam Bansal and Varinder Uppal

Abstract: Formalin is effective but toxic and carcinogenic preservative. Plastination offers potential advantages, including reduced toxicity, improved durability and enhanced structural detail visibility, making it a safer and effective alternative. The study involved plastination of distal limbs of fore and hind limbs of horse and buffalo. Plastination process began with immersion in 10% formalin for 10 days followed by two changes of acetone over 7 days each for dehydration. Samples were then placed in glycerin for two changes of 7 days each to ensure thorough impregnation. Excess glycerin was absorbed using corn starch and specimens were varnished. Results showed no significant difference in the diameter of I, II & III phalanx between plastinated and formalin-preserved samples of fore and hindlimbs. The superficial digital flexor tendon, deep digital flexor tendon and white line showed shrinkage in both species. This study demonstrates that in spite of shrinkage in certain tissues, plastination is an effective method for tissue preservation, particularly for educational purposes.