Three-Dimensional Imaging of the Vertebral Lymphatic Vasculature and Drainage using iDISCO⁺ and Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

The lymphatic system associated with the central nervous system (CNS) includes the lymphatic vasculature that spins around the brain, the spinal cord, and its associated LNs. The CNS-associated lymphatic system is involved in the drainage of CSF macromolecules and meningeal immune cells toward CNS-draining LNs, thereby regulating waste clearance and immune surveillance within CNS tissues. Presented is a novel approach to obtain three-dimensional (3D) and cellular resolution images of CNS-associated lymphatics while preserving the integrity of their circuits within surrounding tissues. The iDISCO + protocol is used to immunolabel lymphatic vessels in decalcified and cleared whole mount preparations of the vertebral column that are subsequently imaged with light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM). The technique reveals the 3D structure of the lymphatic network connecting the meningeal and epidural spaces around the spinal cord to extravertebral lymphatic vessels. Provided are 3D images of the drainage circuits of molecular tracers previously injected into either the CSF via the cisterna magna or the thoracolumbar spinal parenchyma. The iDISCO + /LSFM approach brings unprecedented opportunities to explore the structure and function of the CNS-associated lymphatic system in neurovascular biology, neuroimmunology, brain and vertebral cancer, or vertebral bone and joint biology.