Refractive Index: 1.42 [1]
Clearing Time: Slow – days to weeks [1]
Type: Aqueous
IHC: Compatible with immunostaining [1]
FP: Compatible with fluorescent protein [1]
Tissue Morphology: No tissue swelling or shrinking [1]
Carcinogenicity: No
Difficulty: Easy-to-use
TDE refers to 2,2′-thiodiethanol which is a solvent that has been used commonly to replace FocusClear™ used in refractive index matching applications like optical clearing with CLARITY. TDE is much more inexpensive than FocusClear and is also compatible with immunostaining and fluorescent protein. However, TDE clears much more slowly than FocusClear as it takes days to weeks instead of a few days to clear samples [1]. One the problems with TDE is that it can be challenging to obtain depending upon what country you are in as TDE is a Chemical Weapons Convention Schedule 2 Chemical as it can be used to produce mustard gas.
Publications
- A Rapid Optical Clearing Protocol Using 2,2′-Thiodiethanol for Microscopic Observation of Fixed Mouse Brain
- A versatile clearing agent for multi-modal brain imaging
- A multi modal clearing method for brain imaging
- Preparation of wholemount mouse intestine for high-resolution three-dimensional imaging using two-photon microscopy