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Journal of Semnan University of Medical Sciences

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Cover image of the article: Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope: A Review of Principles and Applications in Biological Sciences and Regenerative Medicine (AI-generated illustration)

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https://doi.org/10.69107/koomesh-164250

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope: A Review of Principles and Applications in Biological Sciences and Regenerative Medicine

Authors

Fatemeh BahramaliFatemeh Bahramali ORCID1, Hossein Asadi1, Pegah Khosravian DehkordiPegah Khosravian Dehkordi ORCID2, Elham SaffariehElham Saffarieh ORCID3, Akram AlizadehAkram Alizadeh ORCID1,*
1Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cellular Sciences, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
2Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
3Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
*Corresponding Author: Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cellular Sciences, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran. Email: alizadehbio@gmail.com
Koomesh:Vol. 28, issue 3; e164250
Published online:May 25, 2026
Article type:Review Article
How to Cite:Bahramali F, Asadi H, Khosravian Dehkordi P, Saffarieh E, Alizadeh A. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope: A Review of Principles and Applications in Biological Sciences and Regenerative Medicine. Koomesh. 2026;28(3):e164250. doi: https://doi.org/10.69107/koomesh-164250

Abstract

Abstract

Context:

Since the commercialization of confocal microscopy in the late 1980s, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) has become one of the most common fluorescence microscopy techniques for 3D structural studies of biological cells and tissues. The flexibility of this approach has enabled its application in studies ranging from rapid imaging of processes in living cells, to morphological analyses of tissues, and localization of protein expression patterns.

Evidence Acquisition:

The studies published in PubMed, google scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from 2004 to 2025 was used. Selection criteria included studies evaluating confocal microscopy and its advantages in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Results:

CLSM has a major advantage over conventional microscopy because it rejects light that does not come from the focal plane, enabling one to perform optical sectioning and construction of 3D images. Also, its high axial resolution, sharp image quality, and associated quantitative image analysis provide crucial structural information at medium range for full 3D realization of the microstructure. Due to this feature, CLSM is currently finding applications in the study of a variety of processes such as phase separation in polymer blends, fracture toughness in alloys, and in microfabrication. It also has applications in regenerative medicine, such as analyzing cell dynamics, cell interactions, and measuring tissue properties, and can help improve tissue regeneration and repair processes and make progress in this field.

Conclusion:

This article reviews confocal microscopy and its advantages in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and biomaterials. In this article, we also introduce the principles of confocal microscopy and discuss how this approach has become a mainstay in the life sciences.

Keywords: confocal microscopy, 3D structure, laser scanning microscopy, tissue engineering

KeywordsConfocal microscopy3D structurelaser scanning microscopybiological sciencesRegenerative Medicine

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Copyright

© 2026, Author(s). This open-access article is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which allows for unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.

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