Author:
Berke József,Gulyás István,Bognár Zoltán,Berke Dávid,Enyedi Attila,Kozma-Bognár Veronika,Mauchart Péter,Nagy Bernadett,Várnagy Ákos,Kovács Kálmán,Bódis József
Abstract
AbstractLiving cells have spontaneous ultraweak photon emission derived from metabolic reactions associated with physiological conditions. The ORCA-Quest CMOS camera (Hamamatsu Photonics, Japan) is a highly sensitive and essential tool for photon detection; its use with a microscope incubator (Olympus) enables the detection of photons emitted by embryos with the exclusion of harmful visible light. With the application of the second law of thermodynamics, the low-entropy energy absorbed and used by embryos can be distinguished from the higher-entropy energy released and detectable in their environment. To evaluate higher-entropy energy data from embryos, we developed a unique algorithm for the calculation of the entropy-weighted spectral fractal dimension, which demonstrates the self-similar structure of the energy (photons) released by embryos. Analyses based on this structure enabled the distinction of living and degenerated mouse embryos, and of frozen and fresh embryos and the background. This novel detection of ultra-weak photon emission from mouse embryos can provide the basis for the development of a photon emission embryo control system. The ultraweak photon emission fingerprints of embryos may be used for the selection of viable specimens in an ideal dark environment.
Funder
National Laboratory on Human Reproduction
University of Pécs
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC