Glycol methacrylate (GMA) embedding medium is characterized by which of the following?

• A. Tolerates a small amount of water after processing.
• B. Requires complete dehydration prior to embedding.
• C. Cannot be used for light microscopy.
• D. Is incompatible with paraffin wax.

Answer: (A)

Glycol methacrylate is a hydrophilic embedding medium that tolerates a small amount of residual water after processing. This allows tissue to be infiltrated and embedded without requiring complete dehydration, helping to preserve fine cellular detail and antigenicity that can be lost with harsh dehydration. Because of this property, GMA provides very crisp, well-preserved sections suitable for light microscopy and specific stains or immunohistochemical procedures. The notion that complete dehydration is required is not correct, and it is not true that GMA cannot be used for light microscopy or that it is inherently incompatible with paraffin wax—these are different embedding approaches with distinct advantages.