Mounting Media and Antifades

Mounting media are essential tools in microscopy, serving to preserve and protect samples while enhancing image clarity and longevity. Mounting media can be soft- (non-curing) or hard-setting (curing), depending on whether the mountant contains a gelling agent. Soft setting mountants contain a buffered glycerol solution and should be used when slides need to be imaged immediately. Soft-setting mountants can be washed away and the sample can either be re-stained or used for downstream purposes like single-cell RNA-sequencing or PCR. Hard setting mountants contain a polymer that permanently affixes the coverslip to the slide. This is used for extended storage of a sample.

There are different types of mounting media, each tailored to specific applications and imaging techniques: aqueous mounting media, non-aqueous (organic) mounting media, and antifade mounting media. Antifade mounting media is excellent for preventing photobleaching and stabilize fluorescent signals. 

Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed a series of antifade reagents that minimize photobleaching and increase fluorophore photostability in both live-cell and fixed-cell samples. We offer antifade mounting medium that allows for immediate imaging or for long-term storage, plus formulations that include a nuclear stain to combine mounting and counterstaining in a single step. Reduced photobleaching means longer tracking for time-course experiments, higher sensitivity, and better quantitation from fluorescent signals. Explore our range of mounting media and reagents to find the right solution for your research and imaging requirements.

Learn more about how mounting medium can improve your images

*All objective types are compatible with these reagents

See also ProLong Coverslip Sealant

Photobleaching is an irreversible process that results in the degradation of fluorescent signal. Free radicals are generated when photoexcited fluorophores are exposed to oxygen, leading to the loss of signal intensity. Photobleaching can be slowed by reducing the intensity and time of exposure of the fluorophore to light. The mechanisms associated with photobleaching are also implicated in phototoxicity, which may adversely impact cell viability and data quality. Antifade reagents were introduced to allow for greater and longer signal by lessening the photobleaching effect.