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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Orthotopic Injection of Breast Cancer Cells into the Mice Mammary Fat Pad
Published on: January 20, 2019
Optical parameters of healthy and tumor breast tissues in mice
Elina A Genina1,2, Ekaterina N Lazareva1,2, Yuri I Surkov1,2,3
1Institute of Physics, Saratov State University, Saratov, Russia.
Abstract:
Knowledge of the optical parameters of tumors is important for choosing the correct laser treatment parameters. In this paper, optical properties and refraction indices of breast tissue in healthy mice and a 4T1 model mimicking human breast cancer have been measured. A significant decrease in both the scattering and refractive index of tumor tissue has been observed. The change in tissue morphology has induced the change in the slope of the scattering spectrum. Thus, the light penetration depth into tumor has increased by almost 1.5-2 times in the near infrared "optical windows." Raman spectra have shown lower lipid content and higher protein content in tumor. The difference in the optical parameters of the tissues under study makes it possible to reliably differentiate them. The results may be useful for modeling the distribution of laser radiation in healthy tissues and cancers for deriving optimal irradiation conditions in photodynamic therapy.
Insights
Optical properties of breast tumors differ significantly from healthy tissue, impacting laser treatments. This study measured these optical parameters, revealing increased light penetration in tumors for better photodynamic therapy applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Optics
- Cancer Research
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Accurate optical parameters are crucial for effective laser-based medical treatments, especially in oncology.
- Understanding tissue optical properties guides the selection of appropriate laser parameters for therapies like photodynamic therapy (PDT).
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure and compare the optical properties and refractive indices of healthy breast tissue and a 4T1 breast cancer mouse model.
- To investigate how changes in tissue morphology affect optical properties and light penetration.
- To assess the potential for differentiating tumor tissue from healthy tissue based on optical characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of optical properties (scattering, absorption) and refractive indices in healthy and 4T1 tumor mouse breast tissues.
- Analysis of scattering spectra to determine changes in spectral slope.
- Raman spectroscopy to analyze biochemical composition (lipid and protein content).
Main Results:
- Tumor tissue exhibited a significant decrease in scattering and refractive index compared to healthy tissue.
- The altered tissue morphology resulted in a change in the scattering spectrum slope.
- Light penetration depth in the near-infrared optical windows increased by 1.5-2 times in tumor tissue.
- Raman spectra indicated lower lipid and higher protein content in tumor tissue.
Conclusions:
- Distinct optical parameters between healthy and tumor breast tissues allow for reliable differentiation.
- The observed changes in optical properties, particularly increased light penetration, can inform the modeling of laser radiation distribution.
- These findings support the optimization of laser irradiation conditions for photodynamic therapy in breast cancer treatment.
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