Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasglow, UK.
Cell Microbiol. 2019 May;21(5):e13024. doi: 10.1111/cmi.13024. Epub 2019 Mar 28.
Intravital fluorescence microscopy (IVM) is a powerful technique for imaging multiple organs, including the brain of living mice and rats. It enables the direct visualisation of cells in situ providing a real-life view of biological processes that in vitro systems cannot. In addition, to the technological advances in microscopy over the last decade, there have been supporting innovations in data storage and analytical packages that enable the visualisation and analysis of large data sets. Here, we review the advantages and limitations of techniques predominantly used for brain IVM, including thinned skull windows, open skull cortical windows, and a miniaturised optical system based on microendoscopic probes that can be inserted into deep tissues. Further, we explore the relevance of these techniques for the field of parasitology. Several protozoan infections are associated with neurological symptoms including Plasmodium spp., Toxoplasma spp., and Trypanosoma spp. IVM has led to crucial findings on these parasite species, which are discussed in detail in this review.
活体荧光显微镜（IVM）是一种强大的技术，可用于对多个器官进行成像，包括活体小鼠和大鼠的大脑。它能够直接对原位细胞进行可视化，提供了一种体外系统无法实现的真实生物过程视图。此外，在过去十年中，显微镜技术取得了进步，同时还支持数据存储和分析包的创新，从而能够可视化和分析大型数据集。在这里，我们回顾了主要用于脑 IVM 的技术的优缺点，包括颅骨减薄窗口、开颅皮层窗口和基于可插入深部组织的微内窥镜探头的微型光学系统。此外，我们还探讨了这些技术在寄生虫学领域的相关性。几种原生动物感染与包括疟原虫属、弓形体属和锥虫属在内的神经系统症状有关。活体荧光显微镜已经对这些寄生虫物种的重要发现，本文对此进行了详细讨论。
