Molliflex and 4% phenol are primarily used as which of the following?

Molliflex and 4% phenol are primarily utilized as decornifying agents or tissue softeners due to their effectiveness in permeating and softening hard tissues. In histopathology, decornifying agents are crucial for preparing tissues that may be too tough to cut thinly or effectively with conventional techniques. These substances help in making the tissue sections more amenable to further processing, as they help breakdown the tough keratinized layers and soften the overall tissue structure.

The use of Molliflex and 4% phenol allows histotechnologists to obtain more uniform and consistent tissue sections which are essential for accurate diagnosis and examination under a microscope. This softening effect enables better infiltration of embedding media later in the histological processing, enhancing the quality of the final prepared tissue slides.

While fixatives, embedding media, and staining agents serve different critical roles in tissue processing, the specific properties and intended use of Molliflex and 4% phenol align with the requirements for decornification and softening, making them ideally suited for that purpose.