Fixed, thin cut (<10 um), glass mounted sections are recommended to be used in combination with this medium. Unfixed material, thicker sections or the use of gasket or chamber slides or well formats may increase the incidence of bubble formation when applying H-1500. If using thin sections as described, ensure an adequate volume of the medium is being applied to spread out under the coverslip. Storage of slides in the freezer (-20 °C) may also reduce the incidence of bubbles. For existing mounted sections with bubble formation, coverslips can be removed by soaking the slides in buffer, and then remounted using fresh media.

All of the VECTASHIELD formats we currently offer which includes regular non-setting VECTASHIELD, PLUS, HardSet and Vibrance formulations each contain a percentage of glycerol.

No form of tissue dehydration (e.g. air drying or ethanol exposure) is required nor recommended when applying VECTASHIELD. From our experience, the most optimal antifade actions of VECTASHIELD are obtained when the preparation is removed from the final buffer/water rinse, kept slightly wet/moist and then coverslipped with a small volume (25-50 uL) of VECTASHIELD.

That depends upon how long you wish to retain the slides and which VECTASHIELD formulation you are using. If you are using one of our non-setting VECTASHIELD products such as H-1000/H-1200 or H-1900/H-2000, then we suggest sealing the coverslip with plastic sealant or nail polish if you intend to keep the slides beyond a day or so. If you are using one of our setting/curing formulations such as VECTASHIELD HardSet or Vibrance, then in most cases when using thin cut (<10 um) tissue sections or cell monolayers, no sealing of the coverslip is requuired.