Publication Date
5-1-2024
Journal
Journal of Biomedical Optics
DOI
10.1117/1.JBO.29.5.050501
PMID
38774711
PMCID
PMC11107336
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
5-21-2024
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-Print
Published Open-Access
yes
Keywords
Methylene Blue, Animals, Humans, Cell Nucleus, Fiber Optic Technology, Equipment Design, Endoscopy, Administration, Topical
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE: Fiber-optic microendoscopy is a promising approach to noninvasively visualize epithelial nuclear morphometry for early cancer and precancer detection. However, the broader clinical application of this approach is limited by a lack of topical contrast agents available for
AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability to image nuclear morphometry in vivo with a novel fiber-optic microendoscope used together with topical application of methylene blue (MB), a dye with FDA approval for use in chromoendoscopy in the gastrointestinal tract.
APPROACH: The low-cost, high-resolution microendoscope implements scanning darkfield imaging without complex optomechanical components by leveraging programmable illumination and the rolling shutter of the image sensor. We validate the integration of our system and MB staining for visualizing epithelial cell nuclei by performing
RESULTS: The results indicate that scanning darkfield imaging significantly reduces specular reflection and resolves epithelial nuclei with enhanced image contrast and spatial resolution compared to non-scanning widefield imaging. The image quality of darkfield images with MB staining is comparable to that of fluorescence images with proflavine staining.
CONCLUSIONS: Our approach enables real-time microscopic evaluation of nuclear patterns and has the potential to be a powerful noninvasive tool for early cancer detection.
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