Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
J Photochem Photobiol B. 2010 Jan 21;98(1):77-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2009.11.007. Epub 2009 Nov 26.
Fluorescence sampling of cellular function is widely used in all aspects of biology, allowing the visualization of cellular and sub-cellular biological processes with spatial resolutions in the range from nanometers up to centimeters. Imaging of fluorescence in vivo has become the most commonly used radiological tool in all pre-clinical work. In the last decade, full-body pre-clinical imaging systems have emerged with a wide range of utilities and niche application areas. The range of fluorescent probes that can be excited in the visible to near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum continues to expand, with the most value for in vivo use being beyond the 630 nm wavelength, because the absorption of light sharply decreases. Whole-body in vivo fluorescence imaging has not yet reached a state of maturity that allows its routine use in the scope of large-scale pre-clinical studies. This is in part due to an incomplete understanding of what the actual fundamental capabilities and limitations of this imaging modality are. However, progress is continuously being made in research laboratories pushing the limits of the approach to consistently improve its performance in terms of spatial resolution, sensitivity and quantification. This paper reviews this imaging technology with a particular emphasis on its potential uses and limitations, the required instrumentation, and the possible imaging geometries and applications. A detailed account of the main commercially available systems is provided as well as some perspective relating to the future of the technology development. Although the vast majority of applications of in vivo small animal imaging are based on epi-illumination planar imaging, the future success of the method relies heavily on the design of novel imaging systems based on state-of-the-art optical technology used in conjunction with high spatial resolution structural modalities such as MRI, CT or ultrasound.
细胞功能的荧光采样广泛应用于生物学的各个方面，允许对细胞和亚细胞生物过程进行可视化，空间分辨率范围从纳米到厘米。荧光在体成像已成为所有临床前工作中最常用的放射学工具。在过去的十年中，出现了具有广泛用途和特定应用领域的全身临床前成像系统。可以在电磁光谱的可见光到近红外部分激发的荧光探针的范围继续扩大，对于体内使用最有价值的是超过 630nm 波长，因为光的吸收急剧下降。全身在体荧光成像尚未达到成熟状态，无法在大规模临床前研究范围内常规使用。这部分是由于对这种成像方式的实际基本能力和局限性的理解不完整。然而，在研究实验室中，不断取得进展，推动了该方法的极限，以持续提高其在空间分辨率、灵敏度和定量方面的性能。本文特别强调了该成像技术的潜在用途和局限性、所需仪器以及可能的成像几何形状和应用，对该成像技术进行了综述。详细介绍了主要的商业可用系统，并对该技术的未来发展进行了一些展望。尽管大多数活体小动物成像应用都是基于 epi-illumination 平面成像，但该方法的未来成功在很大程度上依赖于基于最先进光学技术设计的新型成像系统，这些系统与 MRI、CT 或超声等高空间分辨率结构模态结合使用。
