Multiphoton intravital microscopy of rodents

Area of Science:

• Biological imaging
• Cellular dynamics
• Tissue biology

Background:

• Tissues are complex, heterogeneous environments with dynamic cellular and non-cellular components.
• Understanding cell behavior within these tissues is crucial for studying development, homeostasis, and disease.
• Intravital microscopy (IVM) enables visualization of live tissues at cellular resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce researchers to intravital microscopy (IVM) techniques.
• To provide practical guidance on performing IVM, with a focus on multiphoton microscopy in rodents.
• To highlight the potential of IVM through examples and discuss data handling.

Main Methods:

• Focus on multiphoton microscopy for intravital imaging.
• Techniques for visualizing intact, live tissues at cellular and subcellular resolution.
• Discussion of challenges, solutions, and practical tips for IVM experiments.

Main Results:

• IVM provides unique insights into cell-cell and cell-environment interactions in vivo.
• Reveals dynamic processes in tissue morphogenesis, homeostasis, inflammation, and disease.
• Demonstrates the power of IVM through highlighted experimental results.

Conclusions:

• IVM, particularly multiphoton microscopy, is a powerful tool for studying cellular dynamics in live tissues.
• The primer offers essential knowledge for researchers new to IVM, including data management.
• IVM advances our understanding of fundamental biological processes and disease mechanisms.