Label-free, High-Resolution Optical Metabolic Imaging of Human Cervical Precancers Reveals Potential for Intraepithelial Neoplasia Diagnosis.

ABSTRACT: While metabolic changes are considered a cancer hallmark, their assessment has not been incorporated in the detection of early or precancers, when treatment is most effective. Here, we demonstrate that metabolic changes are detected in freshly excised human cervical precancerous tissues using label-free, non-destructive imaging of the entire epithelium. The images rely on two-photon excited fluorescence from two metabolic co-enzymes, NAD(P)H and FAD, and have micron-level resolution, enabling sensitive assessments of the redox ratio and mitochondrial fragmentation, which yield metrics of metabolic function and heterogeneity. Simultaneous characterization of morphological features, such as the depth-dependent variation of the nuclear:cytoplasmic ratio, is demonstrated. Multi-parametric anal

SUBMITTER: Pouli D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7311071 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature