Detection of Apoptosis in Tissue Sections

TUNEL-based assays were used to demonstrate the presence of apoptotic cells in tissue sections derived from target tissues of animal models of different diseases. Emphasis was placed on tissue preparation and fixation, as these are crucial to successful histological staining. The protocol suggested here facilitates not only the reliable detection of TUNEL-positive cells but the immunodetection of different proteins in these cells and the surrounding tissues by DAB or fluorescence-based immunostaining.