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Original Research | Pathology | Volume 15 Issue 7, July 2026 | Pages: 2340 - 2346 | India
Comparative Study of Efficiency of Coconut Oil and Xylene as Deparaffinization Agent in Histopathological Tissue Sections
Abstract: Background: Xylene is the most commonly used deparaffinizing agent in routine histopathology; however, its toxic effects have prompted the search for safer alternatives. Coconut oil has been proposed as a biodegradable and eco-friendly substitute. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of coconut oil as a deparaffinizing agent for routine hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and compare its performance with xylene. Materials and Methods: This comparative study included 100 histopathological specimens. Two serial 4-?m sections were prepared from each specimen. One section was deparaffinized using xylene and the other using coconut oil. Stained sections were evaluated by a blinded pathologist for nuclear staining, cytoplasmic staining, staining uniformity, wax retention, and overall histological appearance. Results: Xylene demonstrated superior staining quality in all evaluated parameters. Good nuclear and cytoplasmic staining was observed in 98% of xylene-treated sections compared with 68% of coconut oil-treated sections. Uniform staining was achieved in 99% versus 66%, satisfactory wax removal in 100% versus 60%, and good overall histological appearance in 100% versus 30% of sections processed with xylene and coconut oil, respectively. Conclusion: Xylene produced superior staining quality compared with coconut oil for routine H&E staining. Although coconut oil is a safer and environmentally friendly alternative, it did not provide staining quality comparable to xylene under the conditions employed in this study. Further studies are required to optimize its use as a potential deparaffinizing agent.
Keywords: Coconut oil, Xylene, Deparaffinization, Hematoxylin and eosin staining, Histopathology, Tissue processing
How to Cite?: Prakash Chakraborty, Surachita Chakraborty, Bhaskar Chakraborty, "Comparative Study of Efficiency of Coconut Oil and Xylene as Deparaffinization Agent in Histopathological Tissue Sections", Volume 15 Issue 7, July 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 2340-2346, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26728224831, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26728224831