Author:
Bagramyan Arutyun,Lin Charles P.
Abstract
AbstractWe present a miniature oblique back-illumination microscope (mOBM) for imaging the microcirculation of human oral mucosa, enabling real-time, label-free phase contrast imaging of individual leukocytes circulating in the bloodstream, as well as their rolling and adhesion on vascular walls—the initial steps in leukocyte recruitment that is a hallmark of inflammation. Using the mOBM system, we studied the leukocyte-endothelial interactions in healthy and locally inflamed tissue and observed drastic changes in leukocyte movement (velocity and displacement profile). Our findings suggest that real-time imaging of leukocyte dynamics can provide new diagnostic insights (assessment of inflammation, temporal progression of disease, evaluation of therapeutic response, etc.) that are not available using conventional static parameters such as cell number and morphology.
Funder
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Massachusetts General Hospital
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference29 articles.
1. Germain, R. N., Robey, E. A. & Cahalan, M. D. A decade of imaging cellular motility and interaction dynamics in the immune system. Science 336, 1676–1681 (2012).
2. Vestweber, D. How leukocytes cross the vascular endothelium. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 15, 692–704 (2015).
3. Sumen, C., Mempel, T. R., Mazo, I. B. & von Andrian, U. H. Intravital microscopy: Visualizing immunity in context. Immunity 21, 315–329 (2004).
4. Ley, K. et al. Chapter 11 Intravital Microscopic Investigation of Leukocyte Interactions with the Blood Vessel Wall. in Methods in Enzymology vol. 445 255–279 (Academic Press, 2008).
5. Pittet, M. J. & Weissleder, R. Intravital imaging. Cell 147, 983–991 (2011).