Clinical evidence underscores the intricate interplay between the heart and kidneys, where dysfunction in one organ contributes to progressive failure of both. In our previous work, using vibrational spectroscopy techniques, we demonstrated molecular changes in cardiac tissue post-uninephrectomy (UNX) and ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) surgeries in a rat cardiorenal syndrome (CS) model. It is now imperative to investigate whether structural changes in renal tissue following these two interventions are detectable. Vibrational spectroscopy serves as a powerful analytical technique with a fundamental role in molecular structure analysis. This method provides valuable insights into the intricate architecture of biomolecules, including proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy, in particular, emerges as a potent method for highresolution chemical imaging of various biological tissues, facilitating the analysis of molecular signatures indicative of physiological or pathological states. Despite the recognized utility of FTIR in various biomedical applications, its potential in assessing cardiorenal diseaseinduced lesions in heart and kidney tissues remains underexplored. Therefore, this study aims to bridge this gap by applying FTIR-imaging to identify spectroscopic markers related to renal complications. By characterizing the molecular fingerprints associated with pathological alterations in kidney tissue, this study aims to contribute to the development of non-invasive diagnostic tool for early detection and monitoring of renal dysfunction following surgical interventions. The findings of this study hold promise in advancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying renal complications, thereby facilitating timely interventions and the development of personalized therapeutic strategies in clinical settings.
As a result of increasing life expectancy, osteomyelitis and periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are a major public health problem in Western countries. Infections usually result from bacterial spread through fractures, implants or by blood-borne transmission from surrounding sites. The occurrence of the pathogen leads to excessive inflammatory responses, which reduce the regenerative capacity of bone tissue. Additionally, the treatment of the infection necessitates a surgical approach, as bone tissue is poorly permeable to drug administration. This involves the precise removal of infected tissue, the thorough cleansing of the wound, and the administration of antibiotics directly on-site, complemented by systemic treatment. Despite an accurate surgical procedure, removal and replacement of the medical device is often necessary if it involves an infected prosthesis. Among the various pathogens that can infect bone, Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is the most frequently isolated etiologic agent of infection-induced osteomyelitis and PJIs. This bacterium is common and capable of forming a multilayered antimicrobial-resistant biofilm, frequently found in nosocomial environments. Here, we discuss a methodology for investigating the impact of SA infection on the (i) structure and (ii) chemical composition of the bone tissue, based on the integration of Raman microspectroscopy and AFT-FTIR spectroscopy. We aim to enhance the understanding of SA infection effects on bone tissue and to point out specific markers that can be used to detect the damaged tissue or even the presence of the pathogen with micrometric resolution. Indeed, Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive, non-contact scattering technique that doesn't require labelling and has the possibility of being utilised for in vivo applications in the future (e.g., helping the surgeon during bone resection or implant revision procedures). On the other hand, ATR-FTIR's rapid measurement speed can be taken advantage of for analysing bone tissue biopsies.
Brillouin and Raman microspectroscopy (BRamS) is a scattering technique that simultaneously assesses the mechanical and chemical properties of tissues with micrometric resolution. It has gained increasing attention in the biomedical field over the last decade and has been successfully used for both single-cell studies and whole-tissue characterization under physiological and pathological conditions. In addition, it is non-destructive, non-contact, and does not require labeling, offering the potential for future in vivo applications. The close interdependence between morphology, biochemistry, and mechanics is particularly relevant in the case of musculoskeletal tissues, where the complex structure is well-designed to ensure exceptional mechanical performance. The ability of tissues to resist and adapt to the mechanical and chemical stresses to which they are subjected depends to a large extent on maintaining the correct arrangement of all their components, starting from the microscopic level. In several common degenerative diseases, such as osteoarthritis (OA), the tissue architecture is destroyed by inflammatory processes, resulting in a rearrangement of its entire structure, leading to a complete loss of function and, often the need for prosthetic replacement. In this case, the use of minimally invasive techniques to explore the lesions could become a valuable resource for the surgeon in formulating a more precise diagnosis and, therefore, in providing more appropriate treatments. Here we discuss some of the results obtained by our group in characterizing human musculoskeletal tissue and detecting OA lesions in joints using BRamS.
Vibrational spectroscopy is a powerful probe of molecular structure and its advantages for biomedical and biophysical research, with a special emphasis on proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, are widely recognized in the literature. It is well-known that infrared and Raman spectroscopic techniques are complementary for the structural analysis of any molecule. Although they differ in selection rules, both techniques are rapid, non-destructive and generally do not need special protocols for sample preparation. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy, in particular, allows for fast biochemical imaging of many biological tissues, however, the application of FTIR for the assessment of heart and kidney lesions induced by cardiovascular diseases has been poorly explored.
The multiple scattering (MS) process affects the spectroscopic investigation and the optical imaging of opaque samples. In Brillouin spectroscopy, MS affects the extraction of reliable micromechanical parameters inducing the ill definition of the exchanged wavevector of the scattering process, q. Here, we propose a new experimental method called Polarization Gated Brillouin Spectroscopy (PG-BS) able to disentangle the MS and the ballistic contributions. The results obtained on milk, used as benchmark material, demonstrate both the capability and easy applicability of the proposed method. Exploiting PG-BS for different biological materials can open the route to new frontiers in Brillouin imaging of opaque samples.
Mechanical forces are key to the structure, dynamics, and interactions of living systems. In the last two decades, Brillouin Microscopy (BM) has emerged as a non-invasive optical tool for the mechanical characterisation of biomatter at GHz frequencies and on a microscale. Viscous and elastic properties of biosamples in this spatio-temporal regime are effectively an uncharted territory that is important for the potential impact on function and physiology.
Since its inception, BM has been applied to address a myriad of biological and medical questions and has shown key capabilities for cell mechanobiology and tissue histopathology. Our team has developed and applied BM to study tissue mechanics and revealed the ability of BM to map the acoustic anisotropy of extracellular matrix proteins in isolated fibres and tissue biopsies. For these studies, we have introduced the correlative Brillouin–Raman method as a chemical-specific mechanical probe of biosamples.
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