What is the cytospin used for?

What is the cytospin used for?

A cytocentrifuge, sometimes referred to as a cytospin, is a specialized centrifuge used to concentrate cells in fluid specimens onto a microscope slide so that they can be stained and examined.

What is the cytospin technique?

Cytospin preparations A cytospin is obtained by employing centrifugal force to isolate, concentrate and deposit a monolayer of cells from a dilute cell suspension onto a circular area on a slide. The objective is to keep cells intact enabling the morphology of the cells to be examined.

Why do you centrifuge or cytospin a body fluid specimen?

Cytocentrifugation (also known as “cytospin”) provides the best method for both concentrating cells in body fluid samples and maintaining cellular morphology. This allows the cells to be concentrated for appropriate identification.

What is CSF cytospin?

Description: Cytocentrifugation is a method of gentle and controlled centrifugation, that produces a monolayer of preserved, displayed cells (when present). These are flattened constructively on a slide, offering a more open nucleus and more visually interpretable nuclear material.

Can you cytospin fixed cells?

Simply re-suspend your cells in medium and add formaldehyde (1:10 producing a 4% solution of formalin). I recommend using ‘charged’ slides for your cytospins and I spin at 500rpm for 10 minutes. The remaining cell suspension can quite happily be stored in the fridge for 12 months+ and more cytospins made at any point.

Why is centrifugation done?

Centrifugation is used to collect cells, to precipitate DNA, to purify virus particles, and to distinguish subtle differences in the conformation of molecules. Most laboratories undertaking active research will have more than one type of centrifuge, each capable of using a variety of rotors.

What is the indication of an impression smear?

Impression smears, like skin scrapings, are good for detecting the presence of inflammation, infectious organisms, and abnormal tissue cells.

What is cytospin test?

Comments: This test is a pathologist’s examination of an air-dried wright-stained slide prepared on a cytospin. A written interpretation by a pathologist is reported by computer. Specimens suspicious for malignancy should be confirmed with pap stained millipore cytology or tissue biopsy.

How long can you fix cells for?

When done, your cover slips with their fixed cells can be stored under PBS in the refrigerator for up to three months. Step #9: Proceed with staining and imaging.

How do you make a cell block?

The cell block is prepared from the pellet of centrifuged cell suspension by adding plasma and thrombin to enmesh the cellular material in a clot (Fig. 1). Add up to 20 mL of specimen to a falcon tube and centrifuge for 10 minutes at 1,650 rpm. After centrifugation, the supernatant is decanted.

How is the cytospin technique used in cytology?

The cytospin technique can be used on any single cell suspensions of any source such as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), effusions, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), bronchial lavages, fine-needle aspirates, culture cells, etc. In cytospins, single cell suspensions are spun onto a microscope slide by use of a cytocentrifuge.

What kind of resuspension is used in cytospin?

The type of resuspension solution used is dependent on the cells. A good rule of thumb is to use whatever solution will keep the cells alive and healthy throughout the cytospin procedure. The best morphology and subsequent staining of the cytospin cells are generated from cells that are freshly harvested.

How many drops of cytospin in a cytofunnel?

We recommend putting two and three drops (corresponding to 100–200µl of cell suspension, respectively) in different cytofunnels to establish the optimal volume necessary to result in a good monolayer of cells with no overlapping of cells or cell clumps. The loading volume should be optimized for each cell line used.

How many slides can be centrifuged in a Cytospin?

Place the mounted holder in the corresponding recess in the Cytospin. A maximum of twelve slides can be centrifuged at once. Remember that the Cytospin must always be balanced. Prepare a cell suspension of not more than 0.5 x 10 6 cells/ml in the protein-containing medium.