After the immunofluorescence protocol, samples should be mounted between slide and coverslip for microscopy analysis. For this, it is necessary to use a suitable fluorescence mounting medium in order to fix the samples on the slide and prevent their dehydration. In addition, the mounting media increase the index of refraction.

Some mounting media contain additives such as DABCO, an anti-fading agent that protects the sample against photobleaching. Depending on the fluorochromes used, some anti-fading agents are more effective than others. In addition, there are also mounting media containing DNA dyes (such as DAPI). Thanks to these mounting media, it is possible to color the cores during assembly.

There are mounting media capable of polymerizing, these media are very widely used for fluorescence microscopy. Thanks to these mounting media it is possible to keep the samples for a long time if they are protected from light, the only factor determining the shelf life is the fluorochrome used whose fluorescence intensity decreases with time.