Optical clearing assisted confocal microscopy of ex vivo transgenic mouse skin

•CLSM imaging of transgenic mouse skin using optical clearing agents (OCAs).•The OCA, glycerol, is nearly completely blocked by the epidermis.•The OCA, FocusClear™, penetrates well into the dermis through the epidermis.

We examined the optical clearing assisted confocal microscopy of the transgenic mouse skin. The pinna and dorsal skin were imaged with a confocal microscope after the application of glycerol and FocusClear. In case of the glycerol-treated pinna, the clearing was minimal due to the inefficient permeability. However, the imaging depth was improved when the pinna was treated with FocusClear. In case of dorsal skin, we were able to image deeply to the subcutaneous connective tissue with both agents. Various skin structures such as the vessel, epithelium cells, cartilage, dermal cells, and hair follicles were clearly imaged.