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Depth‐Resolved Enhanced Spectral‐Domain OCT Imaging of Live Mammalian Embryos Using Gold Nanoparticles as Contrast Agent
Author(s) -
Huang Yali,
Li Minghui,
Huang Doudou,
Qiu Qi,
Lin Wenzhen,
Liu Jiyan,
Yang Wensheng,
Yao Youliang,
Yan Guoliang,
Qu Ning,
Tuchin Valery V.,
Fan Shanhui,
Liu Gang,
Zhao Qingliang,
Chen Xiaoyuan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201902346
Subject(s) - optical coherence tomography , embryo , absorbance , materials science , penetration depth , nanorod , embryogenesis , optics , biomedical engineering , nanotechnology , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , medicine , physics
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.