This study investigates the ability of a flexible fiberoptic-based fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) technique to resolve biochemical features in plaque fibrotic cap associated with plaque instability and based solely on fluorescence decay characteristics. Autofluorescence of atherosclerotic human aorta (11 autopsy samples) was measured at 48 locations through two filters, F377: 377/50 and F460: 460/60 nm (center wavelength/bandwidth). The fluorescence decay dynamic was described by average lifetime (τ) and four Laguerre coefficients (LECs) retrieved through a Laguerre deconvolution technique. FLIM-derived parameters discriminated between four groups [elastin-rich (ER), elastin and macrophage-rich (E+M), collagen-rich (CR), and lipid-rich (LR)]. For example, τF377 discriminated ER from CR (R = 0.84); τF460 discriminated E+M from CR and ER (R = 0.60 and 0.54, respectively); LEC-1F377 discriminated CR from LR and E+M (R = 0.69 and 0.77, respectively); P < 0.05 for all correlations. Linear discriminant analysis was used to classify this data set with specificity >87% (all cases) and sensitivity as high as 86%. Current results demonstrate for the first time that clinically relevant features (e.g., ratios of lipid versus collagen versus elastin) can be evaluated with a flexible-fiber based FLIM technique without the need for fluorescence intensity information or contrast agents.
We demonstrate for the first time the application of an endoscopic fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) system to the intraoperative diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The clinically compatible FLIM prototype integrates a gated (down to 0.2 ns) intensifier imaging system with a fiber-bundle (fiber image guide of 0.5 mm diameter, 10,000 fibers with a gradient index lens objective 0.5 NA, and 4 mm field of view) to provide intraoperative access to the surgical field. Experiments conducted in three patients undergoing craniotomy for tumor resection demonstrate that FLIM-derived parameters allow for delineation of tumor from normal cortex. For example, at 460±25-nm wavelength band emission corresponding to NADH/NADPH fluorescence, GBM exhibited a weaker florescence intensity (35% less, p-value <0.05) and a longer lifetime GBM-Amean=1.59±0.24 ns than normal cortex NC-Amean=1.28±0.04 ns (p-value <0.005). Current results demonstrate the potential use of FLIM as a tool for image-guided surgery of brain tumors.
The objective of this study was to develop an automated algorithm which uses fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy
(FLIM) images of human aortic atherosclerotic plaque to provide quantitative and spatial information regarding
compositional features related to plaque vulnerability such as collagen degradation, lipid accumulation, and macrophage
infiltration. Images were acquired through a flexible fiber imaging bundle with intravascular potential at two wavelength
bands optimal to recognizing markers of vulnerability: F377: 377/55 nm and F460: 460/50 nm (center
wavelength/bandwidth). A classification method implementing principal components analysis and linear discriminant
analysis to correlate FLIM data sets with histopathology was validated on a training set and then used to classify a
validation set of FLIM images. The output of this algorithm was a false-color image with each pixel color coded to
represent the chemical composition of the sample. Surface areas occupied by elastin, collagen, and lipid components
were then calculated and used to define the vulnerability of each imaged location. Four groups were defined: early
lesion, stable, mildly vulnerable and extremely vulnerable. Each imaged location was categorized in one of the groups
based on histopathology and classification results; sensitivities (SE) and specificities (SP) were calculated (SE %/SP %):
early lesion: 95/96, stable: 71/97, mildly vulnerable: 75/94, and extremely vulnerable: 100/93. The capability of this
algorithm to use FLIM images to quickly determine the chemical composition of atherosclerotic plaque, particularly
related to vulnerability, further enhances the potential of this system for implementation as an intravascular diagnostic
modality.
Atherosclerotic plaque composition has been associated with plaque instability and rupture. This study investigates the use of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) for mapping plaque composition and assessing features of vulnerability. Measurements were conducted in atherosclerotic human aortic samples using an endoscopic FLIM system (spatial resolution of 35 µm; temporal resolution 200 ps) developed in our lab which allows mapping in one measurement the composition within a volume of 4 mm diameter x 250 µm depth. Each pixel in the image represents a corresponding fluorescence lifetime value; images are formed through a flexible 0.6 mm side-viewing imaging bundle which allows for further intravascular applications. Based on previously recorded spectra of human atherosclerotic plaque, fluorescence emission was collected through two filters: f1: 377/50 and f2: 460/60 (center wavelength/bandwidth), which together provides the greatest discrimination between intrinsic fluorophores related to plaque vulnerability. We have imaged nine aortas and lifetime images were retrieved using a Laguerre expansion deconvolution technique and correlated with histopathology. Early results demonstrate discrimination using fluorescence lifetime between early, lipid-rich, and collagen-rich lesions which are consistent with previously reported time-resolved atherosclerotic plaque measurements.
A unique tissue phantom is reported here that mimics the optical and acoustical properties of biological tissue and
enables testing and validation of a dual-modality clinical diagnostic system combining time-resolved laser-induced
fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) and ultrasound backscatter microscopy (UBM). The phantom consisted of contrast
agents including silicon dioxide particles with a range of diameters from 0.5 to 10 μm acting as optical and acoustical
scatterers, and FITC-conjugated dextran mimicking the endogenous fluorophore in tissue. The agents were encapsulated
in a polymer bead attached to the end of an optical fiber with a 200 μm diameter using a UV-induced polymerization
technique. A set of beads with fibers were then implanted into a gel-based matrix with controlled patterns including a
design with lateral distribution and a design with successively changing depth. The configuration presented here allowed
the validation of the hybrid fluorescence spectroscopic and ultrasonic system by detecting the lateral and depth
distribution of the contrast agents, as well as for coregistration of the ultrasonic image with spectroscopic data. In
addition, the depth of the beads in the gel matrix was changed to explore the effect of different concentration ratio of the
mixture on the fluorescence signal emitted.
The intraoperative diagnosis of brain tumors and the timely evaluation of biomarkers that can guide therapy are hindered by the paucity of rapid adjunctive studies. This study evaluates the feasibility and specificity of using quantum dot-labeled antibodies for rapid visualization of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in human brain tumor cells and in surgical frozen section slides of glioma tissue. Streptavidin-coated quantum dots (QDs) were conjugated to anti-EGFR antibodies and incubated with target cultured tumor cells and tissues. The experiments were conducted first in human glioma tumor cell lines with elevated levels of EGFR expression (SKMG-3, U87) and then in frozen tissue sections of glioblastoma multiforme and of oligodendroglioma. The bioconjugated QDs used in the study were found to bind selectively to brain tumor cells expressing EGFR. QD complexed quickly to the cell membrane (less than 15 min), and binding was highly specific and depended on the expression level of EGFR on the cell membrane. Tissue experiments showed that only tumor specimens expressing EGFR were labeled in less than 30 min by QD complexes. These findings demonstrate that QD-labeled antibodies can provide a quick and accurate method for characterizing the presence or absence of a specific predictive biomarker.
We report the design, integration, and validation of a fluorescence microscopy system for imaging of electroperturbation—the effects of nanosecond, megavolt-per-meter pulsed electric fields on biological cells and tissues. Such effects have potential applications in cancer therapy, gene regulation, and biophysical research by noninvasively disrupting intracellular compartments and inducing apoptosis in malignant cells. As the primary observing platform, an epifluorescence microscope integrating a nanosecond high-voltage pulser and a micrometer electrode chamber enable in situ imaging of the intracellular processes triggered by high electric fields. Using specific fluorescence molecular probes, the dynamic biological responses of Jurkat T lymphocytes to nanosecond electric pulses (nanoelectropulses) are studied with this system, including calcium bursts, the polarized translocation of phosphatidylserine (PS), and nuclear enlargement and chromatin/DNA structural changes.
In vivo fluorescent spectroscopy and imaging using endogenous and exogenous sources of contrast can provide new approaches for enhanced demarcation of brain tumor margins and infiltration. Quantum dots (QDs), nanometer-size fluorescent probes, represent excellent contrast agents for biomedical imaging due to their broader excitation spectrum, narrower emission spectra, and higher sensitivity and stability. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is implicated in the development and progression of a number of human solid tumors including brain tumors and thus a potential target for brain tumor diagnosis. In this study, we investigate the up-take of ODs by brain tumor cells and the potential use of EGFR-targeted QDs for enhanced optical imaging of brain tumors. We conducted fluorescence microscopy studies of the up-take mechanism of the anti-EGFR-ODs complexes by Human U87, and SKMG-3 glioblastoma cells. Our preliminary results show that QDs can enter into glioma cells through anti-EGFR mediated endocytosis, suggesting that these nano-size particles can tag brain tumor cells.
In this communication, we report the imaging of living glioma cells using fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) technique. The growing interests in developing novel techniques for diagnosis and minimally invasive therapy of brain tumor have led to microscopic studies of subcellular structures and intracellular processes in glioma cells. Fluorescence microscopy has been used with a number of exogenous molecular probes specific for certain intracellular structures such as mitochondria, peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR), and calcium concentration. When probes with overlapping emission spectra being used, separate samples are required to image each probe individually under conventional fluorescence microscopy. We have developed a wide-field FLIM microscope that uses fluorescence lifetime as an additional contrast for resolving multiple markers in the same essay. The FLIM microscope consists of a violet diode laser and a nitrogen-pumped dye laser to provide tunable sub-nanosecond excitation from UV to NIR. The detection system is based on a time-gated ICCD camera with minimum 80 ps gate width. The performance of the system was evaluated using fluorescence dyes with reported lifetime values. Living rat glioma C6 cells were stained with JC-1 and Rhodamine 123. FLIM images were acquired and their lifetimes in living cells were found in good agreements with values measured in solutions by a time-domain fluorescence spectrometer. These results indicate that imaging of glioma cells using FLIM can resolve multiple spectrally-overlapping probes and provide quantitative functional information about the intracellular environment.
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