Vibratome

A vibratome is an instrument that is similar to a microtome but uses a vibrating razor blade to cut through tissue. The vibration amplitude, the speed, and the angle of the blade can all be controlled. Fixed or fresh tissue pieces are embedded in low gelling temperature agarose.(Some have had success without using the agarose to embed.) The resulting agarose block containing the tissue piece is then glued to a metal block and sectioned while submerged in a water or buffer bath. Individual sections are then collected with a fine brush and transferred to slides or multiwell plates for staining.

Currently, there are multiple types of vibrating microtomes for use by laboratories and industry labs around the world. The following is a list of the most commonly used vibratomes, and their advantages and disadvantages.

Compresstome vibratomes are designed and made by Precisionary Instruments, which is headquartered in Boston, MA, and were introduced to the market in 2004. The vibratome models include the VF-200, VF-200-0Z, VF-300, VF-300-0Z, and VF-700-0Z. The "-0Z" term on the models refer to the "Auto Zero-Z" patent pending technology developed by Precisionary, where these models are calibrated during the manufacturing process to have near-zero deflections or vibrations in the z-axis. Auto Zero-Z therefore allows tissues to be cut without z-axis shearing of the specimen surface, which helps to yield healthier cells. For larger specimens, such as sectioning tissues from sheep, bovine, pigs, and non-human primates, the company also offers vibratome models VF-800-0Z and VF-900-0Z.

Applications of the Compresstome vibratomes include making slices for electrophysiology, , precision-cut slices (lung, liver, intestines, heart, kidney, etc), mature animal tissues, and organotypic cultures. Organ systems that use Compresstome vibratomes for research include adipose (fat), heart, brain, liver, lung, kidney, muscle, lymph nodes, and gastrointestinal tissues. The Compresstome can section tissue slices with a thickness range of 3 μm to 1000 μm, and therefore is capable of sectioning tissue as thin as cryostats but without the freeze-thaw cycle of tissue preparation.

The Compresstome patented technology works by embedding tissue (both fixed and live specimens) in agarose inside a specimen tube. The tube has one end that is narrower than the other, so that when the embedded tissue is gently pushed out for cutting, there is a slight "compression" of the tissue. The compression puts a slight amount of pressure on the tissue and agarose, which helps to hold the specimen in place and prevents the vibrating knife from pushing against the tissue. As a result, this patented technology prevents tissue shearing or tearing, and thus prevents the introduction of "chattermarks" or vibration artifacts during the cutting process.

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Wikipedia