To evaluate the efficacy of dishwashing soap (DWS) solution, coconut oil, cedarwood oil and limonene as a substitute to xylene in routine Hematoxylin and Eosin (H & E) staining procedure

The components in the H and E staining procedure are xylene and graded alcohol which are used to carry out the intermediate steps of deparaffinization, rehydration and dehydration of tissue sections during the staining. Xylene causes health effects. To evaluate the efficacy of dishwashing soap (DWS) solution, Coconut oil, Cedarwood oil and Limonene as a substitute to xylene in routine and Eosin (H 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Analysis was performed on SPSS software (Windows version 17.0). The results of the present study infer that coconut oil is an efficient substitute for Xylene. Coconut oil is an efficient substitute for Xylene, as it is non-hazardous, and causes less shrinkage of the tissue. It can be used as a de-alcoholization agent in the histopathological laboratory, without losing the quality of the histological details.