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Updated: Sep 19, 2025
In Vivo Chronic Two-Photon Imaging of Microglia in the Mouse Hippocampus
Published on: July 6, 2022
Ultrabright ratiometric Raman-guided epilepsy surgery by intraoperatively visualizing proinflammatory microglia
Cong Wang1, Zhi Li2, Xiao Zhu3
1MOE Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, MOE Innovative Center for New Drug Development of Immune Inflammatory Diseases, School of Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Greater Bay Area Institute of Precision Medicine (Guangzhou), Fudan University, Guangzhou, China; The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging Science and System, Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging Science and System, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Abstract:
Resective surgery is an effective approach for long-term seizure control in drug-resistant focal epilepsy when the epileptic focus (EF) can be accurately delineated and removed. However, intraoperative mapping of EF with electrocorticography is laborious, time-consuming, and highly vulnerable to the effects of anesthesia. Here, we demonstrated that activated microglia can be reliable biomarkers for EF localization. Leveraging a newly developed ratiometric Raman nanosensor, ultraHOCls, we successfully visualize proinflammatory microglia in live epileptic mice, allowing for precise EF delineation without the interference of anesthesia. Compared to electrocorticography-guided surgery, ultraHOCl-guided surgery results in a substantial 61% reduction in total seizure burden in epileptic mouse models. Notably, ultraHOCls sprayed on freshly excised human brain tissues can effectively discriminate epileptic regions from non-epileptic tissues with high sensitivity (94.89%) and specificity (93.3%). This work provides an alternative strategy for delineating the EF intraoperatively, potentially revolutionizing surgery outcomes in epilepsy patients.
