Absorption by water increases fluorescence image contrast of biological tissue in the shortwave infrared.

ABSTRACT: Recent technology developments have expanded the wavelength window for biological fluorescence imaging into the shortwave infrared. We show here a mechanistic understanding of how drastic changes in fluorescence imaging contrast can arise from slight changes of imaging wavelength in the shortwave infrared. We demonstrate, in 3D tissue phantoms and in vivo in mice, that light absorption by water within biological tissue increases image contrast due to attenuation of background and highly scattered light. Wavelengths of strong tissue absorption have conventionally been avoided in fluorescence imaging to maximize photon penetration depth and photon collection, yet we demonstrate that imaging at the peak absorbance of water (near 1,450 nm) results in the highest image contrast in the shortwave

SUBMITTER: Carr JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6140498 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature