A method for paraffin sectioning and identification of indoleamines in the brain of insects with a sclerotized cuticle

Abstract

Sectioning of insects with sclerotized cuticles for histological examination can be challenging and often involves double-embedding, chemical dissolution of the cuticle or long periods of sample preparation. Furthermore, exposure of the tissue to harsh chemical treatments potentially interferes with antibody binding and thus chemical dissolution of the cuticle is undesirable for performing fluorescence immunohistochemistry (IHC). A method for obtaining paraffin sections of compound eye and neural tissue from the Australian black field cricket Teleogryllus commodus, an Orthopteran insect with a sclerotized cuticle, without the need for double embedding and with minimal pre-embedding processin..