Effects of gelatin coating glass coverslips on fungal attachment and their morphological demonstrations

Gelatin obtained from collagen, an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, plays a crucial role in facilitating cell attachment. This study aimed to determine the effects of gelatin on fungal attachment and morphology. Samples of Aspergillus niger were grown on gelatin-coated coverslips and non-gelatin-coated coverslips, and prepared for examination under both light and scanning electron microscopes. The results show that the attachment and morphology of A. niger grown on gelatin-coated coverslips differ from that grown on non-gelatin-coated coverslips. A. niger grown on gelatin-coated coverslips exhibited higher levels of attachment, and less evidence of fungal detachment and dissemination during histological process than non-gelatin-coated coverslips. In addition, gelatin-coated coverslips presented more complete structures of fungi and better image quality than non-gelatin-coated coverslips. It is suggested that gelatin coating may be used in fungus slide preparation to prevent fungal damage during experiments, at the same time improving image quality.