Cell-penetrating phosphorescence based probes allow real-time, high-resolution imaging of O₂ concentration in respiring cells and 3D tissue models. We have developed a panel of such probes, small molecule and nanoparticle structures, which have different spectral characteristics, cell penetrating and tissue staining behavior. The probes are compatible with conventional live cell imaging platforms and can be used in different detection modalities, including ratiometric intensity and PLIM (Phosphorescence Lifetime IMaging) under one- or two-photon excitation. Analytical performance of these probes and utility of the O₂ imaging method have been demonstrated with different types of samples: 2D cell cultures, multi-cellular spheroids from cancer cell lines and primary neurons, excised slices from mouse brain, colon and bladder tissue, and live animals. They are particularly useful for hypoxia research, ex-vivo studies of tissue physiology, cell metabolism, cancer, inflammation, and multiplexing with many conventional fluorophors and markers of cellular function.

Date Published: 5 March 2015
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9329, Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences XV, 93290B (5 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2079269

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9329:
Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences XV
Ammasi Periasamy; Peter T. C. So; Karsten König, Editor(s)