What are the best of preparing the human tongue for staining? I am studying the nerves in the tongue and i was hoping if you can help me by telling me what are the best staining to use? And how thick should the cross-section (slice) of the cadaver tongue?

Your question is a very good one, and it took a lot of collaboration to give you some help!

To stain nerves, use Golgi or Weigert’s stains; alternatives may be Mallory-Azan, Carmine, Cajal.

Another colleague (Dr. Rick Puzdrowski) suggested clearing the tongue with trypsin and use Sudan Black to stain the nerves as a whole mount. He also suggested that you “process the tissue and embed it in paraplast, section at 10 microns, and stain the sections with Sudan Black.”

As an alternative immunohistochemical technique, he suggested using “primary antibodies against one of two popular "pan-neuronal" markers, i.e., protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) and tubulin.

The thickness of the section varies. Dr. Puzdrowski suggested processing the tissue, embed in paraplast, section at 10 microns, and stain with Sudan Black. Dr. Mario Mosunjac, Director of Autopsies, Grady Hospital, Emory University, suggested that you take the gross tongue, and cut blocks in sizes ranging from 5mm up to 1 cm thick slices. The next step is to then take these blocks, and perform your sections at 10 microns. Dr. Mosunjac also suggested the immunohistochemical stain S-100, which is used for neural tumors.

I cannot recommend a good book or website. You may wish to try a text on head and neck pathology.

In addition to Drs. Marfurt, Mosunjac, & Puzdrowski, I also wish to thank Drs. Suzzette Chopin and Dave Moury for their help.

Reference:
Sobotta & Hammersen (1976). Histology. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger.