Depth-Resolved Enhanced Spectral-Domain OCT Imaging of Live Mammalian Embryos Using Gold Nanoparticles as Contrast Agent

Yali Huang; Minghui Li; Doudou Huang; Qi Qiu; Wenzhen Lin; Jiyan Liu; Wensheng Yang; Youliang Yao; Guoliang Yan; Ning Qu; Valery V Tuchin; Shanhui Fan; Gang Liu; Qingliang Zhao; Xiaoyuan Chen

doi:10.1002/smll.201902346

Depth-Resolved Enhanced Spectral-Domain OCT Imaging of Live Mammalian Embryos Using Gold Nanoparticles as Contrast Agent

Small. 2019 Aug;15(35):e1902346. doi: 10.1002/smll.201902346. Epub 2019 Jul 15.

Authors

Yali Huang¹, Minghui Li¹, Doudou Huang¹, Qi Qiu¹, Wenzhen Lin¹, Jiyan Liu¹, Wensheng Yang², Youliang Yao¹, Guoliang Yan¹, Ning Qu¹, Valery V Tuchin^{3

4

5

6}, Shanhui Fan⁷, Gang Liu¹, Qingliang Zhao¹, Xiaoyuan Chen⁸

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Organ Transplantation Institute, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
² Department of Pathology, Affiliated Chenggong Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361000, China.
³ Research-Educational Institute of Optics and Biophotonics, Saratov State University, Saratov, 410012, Russia.
⁴ Laboratory of Laser Diagnostics of Technical and Living Systems, Institute of Precision Mechanics and Control of the Russian Academy of Science, Saratov, 410028, Russia.
⁵ Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia.
⁶ Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biophotonics, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, 634050, Russia.
⁷ College of Life Information Science and Instrument Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, 310018, China.
⁸ Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.

PMID: 31304667
DOI: 10.1002/smll.201902346

Abstract

High-resolution and real-time visualization of the morphological changes during embryonic development are critical for studying congenital anomalies. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been used to investigate the process of embryogenesis. However, the structural visibility of the embryo is decreased with the depth due to signal roll-off and high light scattering. To overcome these obstacles, in this study, combined is a spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) with gold nanorods (GNRs) for 2D/3D imaging of live mouse embryos. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is used to confirm that GNRs can be effectively delivered to the embryos during ex vivo culture. OCT signal, image contrast, and penetration depth are all enhanced on the embryos with GNRs. These results show that after GNR treatment, more accurate spatial localization and better contrasting of the borders among organs can be observed on E9.5 and E10.5 mouse embryos. Furthermore, the strong optical absorbance of GNRs results in much clearer 3D images of the embryos, which can be used for calculating the heart areas and volumes of E9.5 and E10.5 embryos. These findings provide a promising strategy for monitoring organ development and detecting congenital structural abnormalities in mice.

Keywords: contrast agents; embryonic heart volume; gold nanoparticles; live mouse embryos; optical coherence tomography.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Contrast Media / chemistry*
Culture Media
Embryo, Mammalian / diagnostic imaging*
Gold / chemistry*
Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry*
Mice
Tomography, Optical Coherence / methods*

Substances

Contrast Media
Culture Media
Gold