Deep imaging by NIR-II multifocal structured illumination microscopy with enhanced super-resolution radial...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Optical Microscopy
• Super-resolution Microscopy

Background:

• Second near-infrared (NIR-II) multifocal structured illumination microscopy (MSIM) offers improved resolution and depth for turbid specimens.
• However, scattering-induced noise and motion artifacts limit its application in live-tissue imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel microscopy technique that enhances deep imaging capabilities in scattering biological tissues.
• To overcome limitations of background noise and motion artifacts in NIR-II MSIM.

Main Methods:

• Integration of enhanced super-resolution radial fluctuation (eSRRF) with NIR-II MSIM.
• Testing the hybrid NIR-II MSIM-eSRRF platform on Intralipid phantoms, ex-vivo pork tissue, and live mice.

Main Results:

• NIR-II MSIM-eSRRF demonstrated improved spatial resolution and contrast in turbid specimens.
• The technique effectively suppressed motion artifacts, enabling artifact-free visualization of cerebral vasculature in live mice.
• Achieved enhanced deep imaging performance in challenging scattering environments.

Conclusions:

• NIR-II MSIM-eSRRF is a powerful tool for deep imaging in highly scattering environments.
• This platform advances intravital fluorescence microscopy for studying physiological processes.
• The technique holds promise for accelerating discoveries in live-tissue imaging research.