Label-free multimodal polarization-sensitive optical microscope for multiparametric quantitative characterization of...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Tissue Imaging
• Biomolecular Microscopy

Background:

• Collagen is a crucial structural protein in biological tissues, existing in various subtypes.
• Understanding collagen's role requires detailed analysis of its polarization-sensitive light interactions.
• Existing methods may not fully capture collagen's complexity in its native state.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and integrate advanced imaging modalities for comprehensive collagen characterization.
• To enable simultaneous and spatially co-registered analysis of collagen in unsectioned fresh tissues.
• To enhance the understanding of collagen's microenvironment and its implications in diseases.

Main Methods:

• Integrated polarization-sensitive second-harmonic generation (PSHG) microscopy.
• Integrated polarization-sensitive optical coherence microscopy (PSOCM).
• Integrated two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy into a single multimodal system.
• Utilized PSOCM data within a PSHG numerical model for enhanced analysis of fresh tissue.

Main Results:

• Developed a single-source multimodal system capable of simultaneous, co-registered imaging.
• Enabled accurate PSHG analysis of unsectioned fresh tissue by incorporating PSOCM data.
• Achieved quantitative multiparametric characterization of collagen.

Conclusions:

• The developed polarization-sensitive multimodal system provides a powerful tool for collagen analysis.
• Facilitates fundamental understanding of collagen in its unperturbed tissue microenvironment.
• Supports future research into collagen's role in various disease pathologies.