Endoscopic time-lapse imaging of immune cells in infarcted mouse hearts.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

High-resolution imaging of the heart in vivo is challenging owing to the difficulty in accessing the heart and the tissue motion caused by the heartbeat.

Objective

Here, we describe a suction-assisted endoscope for visualizing fluorescently labeled cells and vessels in the beating heart tissue through a small incision made in the intercostal space.

Methods and results

A suction tube with a diameter of 2 to 3 mm stabilizes the local tissue motion safely and effectively at a suction pressure of 50 mm Hg. Using a minimally invasive endoscope integrated into a confocal microscope, we performed fluorescence cellular imaging in both normal and diseased hearts in live mice for an hour per session repeatedly over a few weeks. Real-time imaging revealed the surprisin

SUBMITTER: Jung K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3834270 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature