Three-dimensional vascular and metabolic imaging using inverted autofluorescence

Abstract

Damaged vasculature and the resulting impaired blood circulation in organs can cause pathological injuries, such as organ failure and stroke.¹ Therefore, vascular imaging plays a pivotal role in diagnosis, follow-up of disease progression, and assessment of treatment efficacy.² Assessment of vascular structure in rodent models is key to quantitate organ vasculature.^3,4 This quantitation could be beneficial in analyzing pathological conditions, such as hypertension,⁵ diabetes,⁶ and retinopathy⁷ as well as changes induced by environmental or chemical agents such as radiation⁸ or drugs.⁹ Vascular imaging is also important to study therapeutic angiogenesis.¹⁰