biostudies-literatureUnknown10(1)Merz SFCardioprotection by salvage of the infarct-affected myocardium is an unmet yet highly desired therapeutic goal. To develop new dedicated therapies, experimental myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury would require methods to simultaneously characterize extent and localization of the damage and the ensuing inflammatory responses in whole hearts over time. Here we present a three-dimensional (3D), simultaneous quantitative investigation of key I/R injury-components by combining bleaching-augmented solvent-based non-toxic clearing (BALANCE) using ethyl cinnamate (ECi) with light sheet fluorescence microscopy. This allows structural analyses of fluorescence-labeled I/R hearts with exceptional detail. We discover and 3D-quantify distinguishable acute and late vascular I/R damage zones. ThNature communications2312https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC6534576biostudies-literatureContemporaneous 3D characterization of acute and chronic myocardial I/R injury and response.PMC6534576Detzer JSquire AMerz SFStock PHendgen-Cotta UBEngel DRSoun CTotzeck MKlode JLorchner HBornemann LRassaf TMichel LKorste SKamler MHermann DMGunzer MfalseContemporaneous 3D characterization of acute and chronic myocardial I/R injury and response.Cardioprotection by salvage of the infarct-affected myocardium is an unmet yet highly desired therapeutic goal. To develop new dedicated therapies, experimental myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury would require methods to simultaneously characterize extent and localization of the damage and the ensuing inflammatory responses in whole hearts over time. Here we present a three-dimensional (3D), simultaneous quantitative investigation of key I/R injury-components by combining bleaching-augmented solvent-based non-toxic clearing (BALANCE) using ethyl cinnamate (ECi) with light sheet fluorescence microscopy. This allows structural analyses of fluorescence-labeled I/R hearts with exceptional detail. We discover and 3D-quantify distinguishable acute and late vascular I/R damage zones. Th2019-01-01T00:00:00Z2019 May2026-05-07T12:21:05.293Z2026-04-07T22:55:00.416ZS-EPMC65345763112711310.1038/s41467-019-10338-2