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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Autofluorescence Imaging to Evaluate Cellular Metabolism

Autofluorescence Imaging to Evaluate Cellular Metabolism

Published on: November 15, 2021

Sensing cell metabolism by time-resolved autofluorescence.

Yicong Wu¹, Wei Zheng, Jianan Y Qu

¹Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.

|October 17, 2006

Summary

We developed a novel time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy system to analyze cell metabolism. This method uses intracellular autofluorescence to detect metabolic changes, showing promise for early cancer detection.

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Area of Science:

Biophysics
Cell Biology
Spectroscopy

Background:

Cell metabolism monitoring is crucial for understanding cellular function and disease.
Autofluorescence analysis offers a non-invasive method for probing cellular states.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate a time-resolved confocal fluorescence spectroscopy system for cell metabolism sensing.
To investigate the potential of intracellular autofluorescence as a biomarker for cell metabolism and precancer detection.

Main Methods:

Utilized multichannel time-correlated single-photon-counting (TC-SPC) technique.
Employed time-resolved confocal fluorescence spectroscopy with UV excitation (365 nm).
Analyzed wavelength- and time-resolved intracellular autofluorescence decays in cell cultures.

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Open Source High Content Analysis Utilizing Automated Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy

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Published on: January 18, 2017

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Last Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Autofluorescence Imaging to Evaluate Cellular Metabolism

Autofluorescence Imaging to Evaluate Cellular Metabolism

Published on: November 15, 2021

Open Source High Content Analysis Utilizing Automated Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy

Open Source High Content Analysis Utilizing Automated Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy

Published on: January 18, 2017

Main Results:

Time-resolved autofluorescence decays, primarily from reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(P)H), sensitively indicate cell metabolic status.
Sensitivity decreased with longer excitation wavelengths due to flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) interference.
Demonstrated potential for detecting epithelial precancer using this autofluorescence contrast mechanism.

Conclusions:

Time-resolved autofluorescence spectroscopy is a viable tool for assessing cell metabolism.
Optimized UV excitation enhances sensitivity for metabolic indicators like NAD(P)H.
This technique shows promise as a novel contrast mechanism for early precancer detection.