CLARITY techniques based tissue clearing: types and differences

CLARITY is a tissue imaging technique that uses hydrogel embedded tissue to remove lipids while maintaining the intactness of protein and tissue fine structure. CLARITY has been widely used in the field of three-dimensional reconstruction of intact tissues and biomolecular information analysis, which enhances the ability to obtain biological structural and molecular information from intact systems. Therefore, many modified tissue clearing methods based on CLARITY have emerged. However, the variety and complexity of modified CLARITY techniques, as well as such challenges as low tissue clearing efficiency, tissue damage, and expensive experimental equipment significantly limited popular application. This review systematically summarises the progress of CLARITY techniques from the perspective of tissue clearing and classifies them into active CLARITY, passive CLARITY, and the method of merging active CLARITY with passive CLARITY according to different tissue clearing methods, which helps researchers to select a suitable tissue clearing method for the experimental samples more quickly and effectively based on balancing the removal speed and tissue transparency of different tissue clearing methods. In addition, combing through the advantage and highlighting the limitations of CLARITY techniques may be beneficial for the ideas building of different research and enlighten to improve the details of the techniques. (Folia Morphol 2022; 81, 1: 1-12)

Automated summary

This article provides a systematic overview of the progress in CLARITY techniques for tissue clearing, categorizing them into active CLARITY, passive CLARITY, and a combination of active and passive CLARITY. The review summarizes the advantages and limitations of these methods, helping researchers select suitable tissue clearing methods for their experimental samples more quickly and effectively, while also providing insights for improving the techniques.