pH evaluation of storage fluids and ancient DNA extraction from wet specimens in pathology museums

Abstract

Pathology museums host ancient samples obtained during autopsies and generally used for educational purposes in the past. Such collections consist of dry and wet specimens showing diseases that no longer exist or with their natural course unmodified by modern therapies.1,2 In wet specimens, the preservation of macroscopic features due to the storage fluid has a great historical and paleopathological interest. Unfortunately, both original fixatives and storage fluids strongly influence tissue antigens and nucleic acids preservation.3 [...]