Zhai Tianqu, Qian Wei, Paulus Yannis M, Wang Xueding, Zhang Wei
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan,, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
IMRA America, Inc., 1044 Woodridge Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
Biomed Opt Express. 2024 Oct 11;15(11):6340-6354. doi: 10.1364/BOE.532042. eCollection 2024 Nov 1.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by amyloid beta (Aβ)-containing extracellular plaques and tau-containing intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. Reliable and more accessible biomarkers along with associated imaging methods are essential for early diagnosis and to develop effective therapeutic interventions. Described here is an integrated photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) dual-modality imaging system for multiple ocular biomarker imaging in an AD mouse model. Anti-Aβ-conjugated Au nanochains (AuNCs) were engineered and administered to the mice to provide molecular contrast of Aβ. The retinal vasculature structure and Aβ deposition in AD mice and wild-type (WT) mice were imaged simultaneously by dual-wavelength PAM. OCT distinguished significant differences in retinal layer thickness between AD and WT animals. With the unique ability of imaging the multiple ocular biomarkers via a coaxial multimodality imaging system, the proposed system provides a new tool for investigating the progression of AD in animal models, which could contribute to preclinical studies of AD.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种神经退行性疾病，其特征是含有β淀粉样蛋白（Aβ）的细胞外斑块和含有tau蛋白的细胞内神经原纤维缠结。可靠且更易获取的生物标志物以及相关成像方法对于早期诊断和开发有效的治疗干预措施至关重要。本文介绍了一种用于在AD小鼠模型中进行多种眼部生物标志物成像的集成光声显微镜（PAM）和光学相干断层扫描（OCT）双模态成像系统。设计并给小鼠注射了抗Aβ偶联金纳米链（AuNCs），以提供Aβ的分子对比度。通过双波长PAM同时对AD小鼠和野生型（WT）小鼠的视网膜血管结构和Aβ沉积进行成像。OCT区分了AD动物和WT动物视网膜层厚度的显著差异。所提出的系统具有通过同轴多模态成像系统对多种眼部生物标志物进行成像的独特能力，为研究动物模型中AD的进展提供了一种新工具，这可能有助于AD的临床前研究。
