Tissue clearing protocols: an overview of current methods and approaches

Abstract

Observation of complex cellular shapes in three-dimensional (3D) tissue context requires the use of thick blocks of tissue samples, which are not transparent. To overcome this optical opacity, a specific set of histological techniques have been developed and named tissue clearing methods. Here we review the major available tissue clearing protocols and justify the advantages of a particular protocol of tissue clearing named CUBIC over the other methods in imaging and 3D reconstruction.