In vivo multiphoton fluorescence microscopy of epithelial precancer

摘要

Most human cancers arise from epithelium, the superficial layer covering the exterior of body or lining the internal body cavities. Endogenous fluorophores such as aromatic amino acids, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), flavoprotein (FAD), keratin, collagen, and elastin can provide abundant information to reveal the changes in biochemistry, metabolism, and morphology of living tissues. Thus, autofluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy have been recognized as potential tools for discrimination of cancer from normal tissues. However, current fluorescence diagnostic studies mostly rely on spectral analysis or morphological differentiation. It is challenged since the emission spectra of endogenous fluorophores are broad and usually overlapping with each other and the fluorescence intensity could be affected by many factors. In this study, we instrumented a nonlinear optical microscopy system to characterize the morphologic and biochemical features in the epithelial precancer in vivo. The 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-treated hamster cheek pouch were used as a living animal carcinogenesis model. And the autofluorescence signals of NADH, collagen and elastin were recorded by a time- and spectral- resolved detection system. The results show that there are obvious differences in the morphology of three-dimensional autofluorescence images between normal and precancerous epithelial tissues. The fluorescence lifetime of NADH and the SHG signal from collagen could provide additional approaches to identify cancer from normal tissue.