Department of Chemistry and Physics, The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN 37403.
The University of Tennessee Research Institute, The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN 37403.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Nov 5;121(45):e2413938121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2413938121. Epub 2024 Oct 31.
The biomechanical properties of cells and tissues play an important role in our fundamental understanding of the structures and functions of biological systems at both the cellular and subcellular levels. Recently, Brillouin microscopy, which offers a label-free spectroscopic means of assessing viscoelastic properties in vivo, has emerged as a powerful way to interrogate those properties on a microscopic level in living tissues. However, susceptibility to photodamage and photobleaching, particularly when high-intensity laser beams are used to induce Brillouin scattering, poses a significant challenge. This article introduces a transformative approach designed to mitigate photodamage in biological and biomedical studies, enabling nondestructive, label-free assessments of mechanical properties in live biological samples. By leveraging quantum-light-enhanced stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) imaging contrast, the signal-to-noise ratio is significantly elevated, thereby increasing sample viability and extending interrogation times without compromising the integrity of living samples. The tangible impact of this methodology is evidenced by a notable three-fold increase in sample viability observed after subjecting the samples to three hours of continuous squeezed-light illumination, surpassing the traditional coherent light-based approaches. The quantum-enhanced SBS imaging holds promise across diverse fields, such as cancer biology and neuroscience where preserving sample vitality is of paramount significance. By mitigating concerns regarding photodamage and photobleaching associated with high-intensity lasers, this technological breakthrough expands our horizons for exploring the mechanical properties of live biological systems, paving the way for an era of research and clinical applications.
细胞和组织的生物力学特性在我们对细胞和亚细胞水平的生物系统结构和功能的基本理解中起着重要作用。最近，布里渊显微镜作为一种在体内评估粘弹性特性的无标记光谱手段，已经成为一种在活组织中在微观水平上检测这些特性的强大方法。然而，光损伤和光漂白的敏感性，特别是当高强度激光束用于诱导布里渊散射时，是一个重大挑战。本文介绍了一种变革性的方法，旨在减轻生物和生物医学研究中的光损伤，实现对活生物样本机械性能的非破坏性、无标记评估。通过利用量子光增强的受激布里渊散射（SBS）成像对比度，显著提高了信号与噪声比，从而在不损害活样本完整性的情况下，提高了样品的存活率并延长了询问时间。该方法的实际影响体现在，经过三个小时的连续压缩光照射后，样品的存活率显著提高了三倍，超过了传统的相干光方法。量子增强的 SBS 成像在癌症生物学和神经科学等多个领域具有广阔的应用前景，在这些领域中，保持样本活力至关重要。通过减轻高强度激光相关的光损伤和光漂白的担忧，这项技术突破拓展了我们探索活生物系统机械特性的视野，为研究和临床应用开辟了一个新时代。
