Effect of tissue frozen on quantitative optical properties using optical coherence tomography

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Tissue Imaging
• Veterinary Science

Background:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique.
• Preservation methods are crucial for maintaining tissue integrity for research.
• Nasopharyngeal tissue characterization is important for various biomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of using optical coherence tomography (OCT) for characterizing pig nasopharyngeal tissue.
• To compare OCT imaging results between fresh and frozen tissue sections.
• To determine the impact of long-term frozen storage on OCT-derived tissue properties.

Main Methods:

• Fresh pig nasopharyngeal tissue sections were imaged using OCT.
• Samples were subsequently stored at -80°C for one year.
• Frozen samples were re-imaged using OCT to assess structural and optical property changes.
• Scattering coefficients and anisotropy factors were calculated from OCT data.

Main Results:

• OCT imaging successfully resolved epithelial, lamina propria, and basement membrane structures in both fresh and frozen tissues.
• Median scattering coefficients and anisotropy factors showed minimal significant differences between fresh and frozen samples.
• Epithelium: scattering coefficients (27.6 vs 22.5 mm⁻¹, anisotropy 0.86 vs 0.88).
• Lamina propria: scattering coefficients (10.2 vs 9.6 mm⁻¹, anisotropy 0.96 vs 0.92).

Conclusions:

• Frozen storage at -80°C for up to one year is a viable method for preserving pig nasopharyngeal tissue for OCT research.
• OCT can reliably characterize tissue microstructure and optical properties after frozen storage.
• This finding supports the use of frozen tissue archives in OCT-based studies.