Tissue-Clearing Technique and Cutaneous Nerve Biopsies: Quantification of the Intraepidermal Nerve-Fiber Density Using Active Clarity Technique-Pressure Related Efficient and Stable Transfer of Macromolecules Into Organs
- Authors
- Kim, Dai Hyun; Lee, Se Jeong; Lee, Eunsoo; Hong, Ji Hyuck; Seo, Soo Hong; Ahn, Hyo Hyun; Kim, Byung-Jo; Sun, Woong; Rhyu, Im Joo
- Issue Date
- 10월-2019
- Publisher
- KOREAN NEUROLOGICAL ASSOC
- Keywords
- cutaneous nerve biopsy; peripheral neuropathy; tissue-clearing and labeling technique; ACT-PRESTO; intraepidermal nerve-fiber density
- Citation
- JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY, v.15, no.4, pp.537 - 544
- Indexed
- SCIE
SCOPUS
KCI
- Journal Title
- JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY
- Volume
- 15
- Number
- 4
- Start Page
- 537
- End Page
- 544
- URI
- https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/62696
- DOI
- 10.3988/jcn.2019.15.4.537
- ISSN
- 1738-6586
- Abstract
- Background and Purpose Cutaneous nerve biopsies based on two-dimensional analysis have been regarded as a creditable assessment tool for diagnosing peripheral neuropathies. However, advancements in methodological imaging are required for the analysis of intact structures of peripheral nerve fibers. A tissue-clearing and labeling technique facilitates three-dimensional imaging of internal structures in unsectioned, whole biological tissues without excessive time or labor costs. We sought to establish whether a tissue-clearing and labeling technique could be used for the diagnostic evaluation of peripheral neuropathies. Methods Five healthy individuals and four patients with small-fiber neuropathy (SFN) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) were prospectively enrolled. The conventional methods of indirect immunofluorescence (IF) and bright-field immunohistochemistry (IHC) were adopted in addition to the tissue-clearing and labeling method called active clarity technique-pressure related efficient and stable transfer of macromolecules into organs (ACT-PRESTO) to quantify the intraepidermal nerve-fiber density (IENFD). Results The mean IENFD values obtained by IF, bright-field IHC, and ACT-PRESTO in the healthy control group were 6.54, 6.44, and 90.19 fibers/mm(2), respectively; the corresponding values in the patients with SFN were 1.99, 2.32, and 48.12 fibers/mm(2), respectively, and 3.06, 2.87, and 47.21 fibers/mm(2), respectively, in the patients with PHN. Conclusions This study has shown that a tissue-clearing method provided not only rapid and highly reproducible three-dimensional images of cutaneous nerve fibers but also yielded reliable quantitative IENFD data. Quantification of the IENFD using a tissue-clearing and labeling technique is a promising way to improve conventional cutaneous nerve biopsies.
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Collections - College of Medicine > Department of Medical Science > 1. Journal Articles
- Graduate School > Department of Biomedical Sciences > 1. Journal Articles
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