Cryostabilization and hydrofilic resin embedding: a new perspective to study the mantle of Unio pictorum Mancus (Mollusca, Bivalvia).

Unio pictorum Mancus has been the object of several studies on osmoregulation, metal detoxification and shell mineralization. Therefore, we used several morphological and histochemical techniques on samples, which were resin embedded following cryostabilization, according to our original protocol. The results allow us to propose that cryostabilization followed by resin embedding is an ideal microtechnique to investigate the functional features of Unio mantle, with specific reference to metal ions and lipids which are generally lost during traditional embedding procedures.