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Three-dimensional Optical-resolution Photoacoustic Microscopy
Published on: May 3, 2011
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Photoacoustics resolves species-specific differences in hemoglobin concentration and oxygenation
Lina Hacker1,2, Joanna Brunker1,2, Ewan St John Smith3
1University of Cambridge, Department of Physics, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Journal of Biomedical Optics
|September 5, 2020
Summary
Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) accurately measures blood hemoglobin (HB) and oxygenation (sO2), revealing species-specific variations. This study validates PAI biomarkers against biochemical parameters, highlighting its sensitivity to genetic differences in blood.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Optics
- Medical Imaging
- Comparative Physiology
Background:
- Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a powerful tool for non-invasively assessing blood hemoglobin (HB) concentration and oxygenation (sO2).
- Understanding the relationship between PAI-derived biomarkers and underlying biochemical blood parameters is crucial for accurate physiological interpretation.
- Interspecies genetic variability can influence blood composition and oxygen-binding characteristics, potentially impacting PAI measurements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between photoacoustic biomarkers (total hemoglobin [THb] and oxygenation [sO2]) and biochemical blood parameters.
- To evaluate the impact of species-specific genetic variability on these relationships using blood from different species.
- To validate PAI's capability in reflecting interspecies differences in blood oxygen affinity.
Main Methods:
- In vitro experiments using tissue-mimicking agar phantoms with blood from mouse, rat, human, and naked mole-rat.
- Measurement of THb and sO2 using a commercial photoacoustic tomography system.
- Assessment of biochemical parameters including HB concentration, hematocrit (HCT), and red blood cell (RBC) count using a hematology analyzer.
Main Results:
- Significant correlations were found between THb and biochemical HB, HCT, and RBC in mouse and rat blood.
- PAI accurately reflected interspecies variations in HB and HCT between mouse and rat blood.
- PAI resolved differences in oxygen dissociation curves (sO2) among human, mouse, and rat blood, confirming high oxygen affinity in naked mole-rats.
Conclusions:
- Photoacoustically determined hemoglobin biomarkers exhibit high sensitivity to species-specific variations.
- PAI is a valuable tool for comparative studies of blood physiology across different species.
- The findings support the use of PAI for investigating unique physiological adaptations, such as high oxygen affinity in certain species.
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