A microtome-free 3-dimensional confocal imaging method for visualization of mouse intestine with subcellular-level resolution

摘要

Background & AimsThe intrinsic opacity of mouse intestinal tissue prevents its evaluation by high-resolution, in-depth optical microscopy. Instead, intestinal tissue is usually sectioned, to expose the interior domains of the mucosa and submucosa for microscopic examination. However, microtome sectioning can cause distortions and artifacts that prevent acquisition of an accurate view of the sample. We therefore attempted to develop a microtome-free 3-dimensional (3D) confocal imaging method for characterization of mouse intestine.