Kothuri Suraj Kumar, MacMahon Danielle, Lanka Pranav, O'Flynn Carrie, Henn Patrick, Andersson-Engels Stefan, Gautam Rekha, Konugolu Venkata Sekar Sanathana
Biophotonics@Tyndall, IPIC, Tyndall National Institute, Lee Maltings Complex, Cork, Ireland.
Department of Engineering Sciences, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, Ireland.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 17;15(1):25931. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06138-y.
Bone is an integral component of the skeletal system, providing structural support and playing a crucial role in metabolic and pathological processes. Understanding its optical properties is essential for uncovering its structural heterogeneity and biochemical composition. However, the optical properties evaluation and biomarker decomposition is challenging due to its highly scattering nature. In this study, we present the optical characterization of fresh cadaveric human tibia bone from an 89-year-old female donor using Time-Domain Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy (TDDOS) technique. Absorption and reduced scattering spectra were obtained at three distinct locations of the tibia, revealing characteristic absorption peaks corresponding to key biomarkers such as oxy-haemoglobin (HbO), met-haemoglobin (Met-Hb), lipids, collagen. By analysing the optical properties of individual bone constituents, we identified that the 930 nm lipid peak primarily originates from trabecular bone and bone marrow, with minimal contribution from cortical bone. Cortical bone flakes exhibited high reduced scattering coefficients while trabecular bone demonstrated lower scattering values consistent with its porous nature. These findings provide new insights into the heterogeneity of bone tissue and the biomarker distribution within its distinct constituents. This work lays the groundwork for advancing in vivo, non-invasive spectroscopic techniques for deep tissue investigation and improved diagnosis of bone pathologies.
骨骼是骨骼系统的重要组成部分，提供结构支撑，并在代谢和病理过程中发挥关键作用。了解其光学特性对于揭示其结构异质性和生化组成至关重要。然而，由于其高度散射的性质，光学特性评估和生物标志物分解具有挑战性。在本研究中，我们使用时域漫射光谱（TDDOS）技术对一名89岁女性供体的新鲜尸体人胫骨进行了光学表征。在胫骨的三个不同位置获得了吸收光谱和约化散射光谱，揭示了与关键生物标志物如氧合血红蛋白（HbO）、高铁血红蛋白（Met-Hb）、脂质、胶原蛋白相对应的特征吸收峰。通过分析单个骨成分的光学特性，我们确定930nm脂质峰主要来自小梁骨和骨髓，皮质骨的贡献最小。皮质骨薄片表现出高约化散射系数，而小梁骨由于其多孔性质表现出较低的散射值。这些发现为骨组织的异质性及其不同成分内的生物标志物分布提供了新的见解。这项工作为推进用于深部组织研究和改善骨病理诊断的体内非侵入性光谱技术奠定了基础。
