Three dimensional high-resolution imaging of lung preparations using ultramicroscopy

摘要

Ultramicroscopy allows imaging tissue three dimensionally with high optical resolution. To work, it requires optically clearing the tissue sample (e.g. by substitution of tissue-liquids with a liquid that reveals the same refractive index as the tissue's protein). In ultramicroscopy, illumination of the tissue with a thin sheet of light enables recording sectional images that can form a 3D-stack. Our preliminary data shows that it is feasible to create highly translucent lung tissue preparations of whole lungs with mechanical properties that are close to in vivo. We conclude that using this method, three dimensional image stacks of an entire lung can be recorded at different states of lung distension. This would ultimately help raising knowledge about fundamental lung function on the cellular and the alveolar level.