Sub-cellular tumor identification and markerless differentiation in the rat brain in vivo by multiphoton microscopy

Objective/Background Aim of the current study was to localize and differentiate between tumor (glioma) and healthy tissue in rat brains on a cellular level. Near-infrared multiphoton microscopy takes advantage of the simultaneous absorption of two or more photons to analyze various materials such as cell and tissue components via the observation of endogenous fluorophores such as NAD(P)H, FAD, porphyrins, melanin, elastin, and collagen, with a very high resolution, without inducing the problems of photo-bleaching on out-of-focus areas. Methods In vitro and in vivo studies on healthy rat brains as well as C6 glioma cell line allografts have been performed. Near-infrared laser pulses (λ = 690…