Vol. 7 No. 02 (2026)
Articles

Evaluation of Citrus aurantifolia (Lime) Juice as A Low-Cost, Locally Available Alternative to Formalin in Histological Fixation of Soft Tissues

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  • VC Enyindah,
  • EI Edibamode,
  • KM Odia,
  • LI Wariboko
VC Enyindah Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
EI Edibamode Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
KM Odia Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
LI Wariboko Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Published 2026-08-22

Keywords

  • Wistar rat,
  • Lime Juice,
  • Citrus aurantifolia,
  • Tissue fixation,
  • Histology

Copyright (c) 2026 VC Enyindah, EI Edibamode, KM Odia, LI Wariboko

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Evaluation of Citrus aurantifolia (Lime) Juice as A Low-Cost, Locally Available Alternative to Formalin in Histological Fixation of Soft Tissues. (2026). Journal of Life and Bio-Sciences Research, 7(02), 37-44. https://doi.org/10.38094/jlbsr702188

Abstract

This study evaluated freshly prepared Citrus aurantifolia (lime) juice as a fixative for Wistar rat tissues compared to 10% neutral buffered formalin (NBF). Liver, kidney, lung, heart, testis, and skeletal muscle tissues of Wistar rats were fixed in lime juice and formalin and compared macroscopically and microscopically. The tissues fixed in lime juice showed no architectural distortion and degeneration compared to tissues fixed in formalin during the first 7 days. From day 14 onward, the liver, kidney, and lung showed progressive microscopic and macroscopic degeneration and pigment deposition. Macroscopically, the tissues fixed in lime juice remained odorless but darkened with precipitate formation over time. Lime juice is an effective short-term fixative for routine histological studies.

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