Traditionally, molecules are analyzed in a test tube. Taking biochemistry as an example, the majority of our knowledge about cellular content comes from analysis of fixed cells or tissue homogenates using tools such as immunoblotting and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. These tools can indicate the presence of molecules but do not provide information on their location or interaction with each other in real time, restricting our understanding of the functions of the molecule under study. For real-time imaging of labeled molecules in live cells, fluorescence microscopy is the tool of choice. Fluorescent labels, however, are too bulky for small molecules such as fatty acids, amino acids, and cholesterol. These challenges highlight a critical need for development of chemical imaging platforms that allow in situ or in vivo analysis of molecules. Vibrational spectroscopy based on spontaneous Raman scattering is widely used for label-free analysis of chemical content in cells and tissues. However, the Raman process is a weak effect, limiting its application for fast chemical imaging of a living system. With high imaging speed and 3D spatial resolution, coherent Raman scattering microscopy is enabling a new approach for real-time vibrational imaging of single cells in a living system. In most experiments, coherent Raman processes involve two excitation fields denoted as pump at ωp and Stokes at ωs. When the beating frequency between the pump and Stokes fields (ωp - ωs) is resonant with a Raman-active molecular vibration, four major coherent Raman scattering processes occur simultaneously, namely, coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) at (ωp - ωs) + ωp, coherent Stokes Raman scattering (CSRS) at ωs - (ωp - ωs), stimulated Raman gain (SRG) at ωs, and stimulated Raman loss (SRL) at ωp. In SRG, the Stokes beam experiences a gain in intensity, whereas in SRL, the pump beam experiences a loss. Both SRG and SRL belong to stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), in which the energy difference between the pump and Stokes fields is transferred to the molecule for vibrational excitation. The SRS signal appears at the same wavelengths as the excitation fields and is commonly extracted through a phase-sensitive detection scheme. The detected intensity change because of a Raman transition is proportional to Im[χ(3)]IpIs, where χ(3) represents the third-order nonlinear susceptibility, Ip and Is stand for the intensity of the pump and Stokes fields. In this Account, we discuss the most recent advances in the technical development and enabling applications of SRS microscopy. Compared to CARS, the SRS contrast is free of nonresonant background. Moreover, the SRS intensity is linearly proportional to the density of target molecules in focus. For single-frequency imaging, an SRS microscope offers a speed that is ∼1000 times faster than a line-scan Raman microscope and 10,000 times faster than a point-scan Raman microscope. It is important to emphasize that SRS and spontaneous Raman scattering are complementary to each other. Spontaneous Raman spectroscopy covers the entire window of molecular vibrations, which allows extraction of subtleties via multivariate analysis. SRS offers the speed advantage by focusing on either a single Raman band or a defined spectral window of target molecules. Integrating single-frequency SRS imaging and spontaneous Raman spectroscopy on a single platform allows quantitative compositional analysis of objects inside single live cells.
Traditionally, molecules are analyzed in a test tube. Taking biochemistry as an example, the majority of our knowledge about cellular content comes from analysis of fixed cells or tissue homogenates using tools such as immunoblotting and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. These tools can indicate the presence of molecules but do not provide information on their location or interaction with each other in real time, restricting our understanding of the functions of the molecule under study. For real-time imaging of labeled molecules in live cells, fluorescence microscopy is the tool of choice. Fluorescent labels, however, are too bulky for small molecules such as fatty acids, amino acids, and cholesterol. These challenges highlight a critical need for development of chemical imaging platforms that allow in situ or in vivo analysis of molecules. Vibrational spectroscopy based on spontaneous Raman scattering is widely used for label-free analysis of chemical content in cells and tissues. However, the Raman process is a weak effect, limiting its application for fast chemical imaging of a living system. With high imaging speed and 3D spatial resolution, coherent Raman scattering microscopy is enabling a new approach for real-time vibrational imaging of single cells in a living system. In most experiments, coherent Raman processes involve two excitation fields denoted as pump at ωp and Stokes at ωs. When the beating frequency between the pump and Stokes fields (ωp - ωs) is resonant with a Raman-active molecular vibration, four major coherent Raman scattering processes occur simultaneously, namely, coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) at (ωp - ωs) + ωp, coherent Stokes Raman scattering (CSRS) at ωs - (ωp - ωs), stimulated Raman gain (SRG) at ωs, and stimulated Raman loss (SRL) at ωp. In SRG, the Stokes beam experiences a gain in intensity, whereas in SRL, the pump beam experiences a loss. Both SRG and SRL belong to stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), in which the energy difference between the pump and Stokes fields is transferred to the molecule for vibrational excitation. The SRS signal appears at the same wavelengths as the excitation fields and is commonly extracted through a phase-sensitive detection scheme. The detected intensity change because of a Raman transition is proportional to Im[χ(3)]IpIs, where χ(3) represents the third-order nonlinear susceptibility, Ip and Is stand for the intensity of the pump and Stokes fields. In this Account, we discuss the most recent advances in the technical development and enabling applications of SRS microscopy. Compared to CARS, the SRS contrast is free of nonresonant background. Moreover, the SRS intensity is linearly proportional to the density of target molecules in focus. For single-frequency imaging, an SRS microscope offers a speed that is ∼1000 times faster than a line-scan Raman microscope and 10,000 times faster than a point-scan Raman microscope. It is important to emphasize that SRS and spontaneous Raman scattering are complementary to each other. Spontaneous Raman spectroscopy covers the entire window of molecular vibrations, which allows extraction of subtleties via multivariate analysis. SRS offers the speed advantage by focusing on either a single Raman band or a defined spectral window of target molecules. Integrating single-frequency SRS imaging and spontaneous Raman spectroscopy on a single platform allows quantitative compositional analysis of objects inside single live cells.
Acquiring a spectrum at
every pixel, so-called spectroscopic imaging,
occurs in our daily life. The photoreceptor cells in the human eye
perceive three colors (yellow, green, and violet), and our brain processes
the information for us to see the world in all colors.[1] Nevertheless, most intracellular biomolecules, including
lipids and nucleic acids, neither absorb nor emit photons in the visible
wavelength region and therefore are invisible under a bright-field
microscope. Fortunately, molecules are not “quiet”;
the chemical bonds vibrate, and their interaction with photons produces
fingerprint spectra of molecules in the infrared wavelength region.
Infrared spectroscopy is a powerful tool for molecular analysis, but
its imaging application to living systems is hampered by the strong
infrared absorption of water. The relatively long excitation wavelength
used in infrared spectroscopy also limits the spatial resolution of
infrared microscopy to a few micrometers,[2] which is not sufficient for visualization of subcellular structure.
These shortcomings can be avoided using molecular spectroscopy based
on inelastic Raman scattering (Figure 1a).[3] First, water is known to be a weak Raman scatterer
and produces little interference. Moreover, the use of visible/near-infrared
excitation wavelength offers submicrometer spatial resolution, allowing
for chemical imaging of single cells by confocal Raman microscopy.[4] Nevertheless, because of the extremely small
cross-section of spontaneous Raman scattering, the data acquisition
speed of current Raman microscopes for cell imaging is limited to
tens of minutes per frame of ∼240 × 100 pixels.[5] Such speed is insufficient to capture the dynamics
in a vital system.
Figure 1
Spontaneous Raman scattering and coherent Raman scattering
processes.
(a) Spontaneous Raman scattering. Left: energy diagram. Right: representative
spectra. The solid vertical arrows indicate laser excitation; the
dashed arrow indicates the spontaneous scattering process. (b) Broadband
coherent Raman scattering induced by a pump field at ωp and a Stokes field at ωs. Ω denotes the vibrational
energy.
Spontaneous Raman scattering and coherent Raman scattering
processes.
(a) Spontaneous Raman scattering. Left: energy diagram. Right: representative
spectra. The solid vertical arrows indicate laser excitation; the
dashed arrow indicates the spontaneous scattering process. (b) Broadband
coherent Raman scattering induced by a pump field at ωp and a Stokes field at ωs. Ω denotes the vibrational
energy.Recently developed coherent Raman
scattering microscopy,[6] based on either
coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering
(CARS) or stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) (Figure 1b), overcomes the low signal level limitation and allows real-time
vibrational imaging of living cells and organisms. The SRS and CARS
phenomena were first reported in 1962[7] and
1965,[8] respectively, and CARS microscopy
was first reported in 1982.[9] The need for
high-speed cellular imaging and advances in laser technologies spurred
the development of CARS microscopy in 1999.[10] Over the past decade, CARS microscopy has found important biological
applications in label-free imaging of biomolecules, especially lipids.[11] Of particular note, multiplex CARS imaging has
achieved spectral acquisition times on the order of a few milliseconds
per pixel for biological samples.[12,13]Single-frequency
SRS imaging was reported in 2005 by Volkmer et
al.[14] In 2007, Ploetz et al. reported broadband
SRS microscopy using a 1 kHz laser.[15] Since
2008, the use of megahertz-rate modulation of 80 MHz lasers has circumvented
the laser noise and significantly improved imaging speed and detection
sensitivity.[16−19] A demodulation approach that requires no lock-in amplifier has simplified
the implementation of SRS imaging.[20] To
harness the spectroscopic information, Raman spectromicroscopy was
developed, where high-speed, single-frequency SRS or CARS imaging
was coupled with spontaneous Raman spectral analysis of the pixels
of interest.[21−25] As a more quantitative approach, hyperspectral SRS microscopy, which
collects an SRS spectrum for each pixel, has been recently developed
for analysis of complex biological specimens.[26−31]We herein discuss the most recent advances in SRS microscopy
in
terms of instrumentation characteristics and image analysis methods,
along with enabled applications. An outlook of SRS microscopy is presented
at the end.
Noise, Background, and Photodamage in SRS Microscopy
The quality of SRS imaging is affected by factors including noise,
non-Raman background, and photodamage to the specimen. These are also
common factors in spontaneous Raman imaging. However, because SRS
signals are extracted from the local oscillator by a phase-sensitive
detection, the noise issues in SRS are different from that in spontaneous
Raman. In this section, we discuss the nature of these issues and
present various ways that have been used to reduce noise, background,
and photodamage.The noise in SRS microscopy is composed of
the laser noise, shot
noise, and electronic noise. The laser noise is linearly proportional
to the laser power, has a distribution similar to 1/f noise, and is dominant over the signal below 1 MHz. Therefore, adopting
a megahertz modulation rate in SRS imaging significantly circumvents
the laser noise. The fundamental electronic noise, the Johnson–Nyquist
noise, is independent of laser power but proportional to the square
root of input impedance, assuming minimal environmental noise such
as that from a power supply. To increase the ratio of SRS signal to
electronic noise, a resonant circuit with a high quality factor can
be used to amplify the SRS signal.[20]The shot noise is the result of the intrinsic Poisson distribution
of photon detection. Because the phase-sensitive detection scheme
in SRS detects only the varying portion of the laser intensity, ΔI, the minimum detectable modulation depth, ΔI/I, cannot be smaller than Ishot/I = 1/I1/2, where Ishot stands for the shot-noise-equivalent
intensity and I is the detected laser intensity.
Shot-noise-limited detection is indicated by a square-root dependence
of noise on the incident power at the photodetector and has been extensively
demonstrated in SRS microscopy.[18,19]It is important
to note that the SRS signal is accompanied by Raman-independent
pump–probe background signals. These pump–probe-type
signals arise from transient absorption, cross-phase modulation, and
photothermal effects (Figure 2).[32] Here, the terms pump and probe refer to the
modulated beam and unmodulated beam, respectively. Spectral modulation
offers a promising approach to diminish the pump–probe background
in SRS microscopy. The transient absorption and photothermal effects
are based on electronic transitions and therefore exhibit relatively
small wavelength dependence (tens of nanometers). Cross-phase modulation
is a third-order nonlinear process involving only virtual energy states,
and its intensity has an inverse dependence on the probe beam wavelength.
Therefore, for a small spectral range, the cross-phase modulation
signal can be considered to be wavelength-independent. In contrast,
the SRS signal arises from vibrational transitions, which have very
sharp spectral features (on the order of 1 nm in width). Thus, by
modulating the wavelength of a laser beam within a few nanometers,
one could selectively detect the SRS process. On the basis of this
concept, early work demonstrated the suppression of background signal
in absorption spectroscopy[33] and SRS spectroscopy.[34,35] Recent work by Zhang et al. demonstrated a frequency modulation
implementation that switches the excitation wavelengths at a megahertz
rate, as shown in Figure 3a,b.[32] The intensity-modulation induced pump–probe signals
are effectively removed, whereas the pure Raman resonant components
are detected. This removal of transient absorption background enables
the visualization of lipid bodies in the presence of strong melanin
pigments (Figure 3c,d). Alternatively, SRS
and transient absorption signals can be distinguished on the basis
of their different dependence on the excitation laser fields.[36] Mansfield et al. used electronic phase information
to separate the transient absorption signal and the SRL signal.[37] Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that the pump–probe
backgrounds are not encountered in CARS microscopy because the CARS
signal is detected at a new wavelength.
Figure 2
Pump–probe modalities
associated with the SRS process. (a)
SRS process involves energy transfer from the pump field to the Stokes
field via excitation of molecular vibration. (b) Cross-phase modulation:
the pump beam (ωp) changes the nonlinear refractive
index at the focus through optical Kerr effect, thus affecting the
probe beam (ωpr) propagation and frequency. (c) Transient
absorption: a pump–probe process that involves excitation of
electronic energy levels. (d) Thermal lensing effect: the change of
refractive index at the focus induced by the local heating after absorption
of the pump photons, affecting the propagation of the probe beam.
Figure 3
Background-free SRS imaging through spectral
modulation. (a, b)
Schematic of the spectral modulator with the acousto-optic modulator
switched on (a) and off (b). (c, d) Comparison of SRS imaging by intensity
modulation to that by spectral modulation. The sample in panel c is
a dark hair at the interface between air and liquid, deuterated dimethyl
sulfoxide. The sample in panel d is a sebaceous gland under black
mouse skin. Scale bars: 20 μm.
Pump–probe modalities
associated with the SRS process. (a)
SRS process involves energy transfer from the pump field to the Stokes
field via excitation of molecular vibration. (b) Cross-phase modulation:
the pump beam (ωp) changes the nonlinear refractive
index at the focus through optical Kerr effect, thus affecting the
probe beam (ωpr) propagation and frequency. (c) Transient
absorption: a pump–probe process that involves excitation of
electronic energy levels. (d) Thermal lensing effect: the change of
refractive index at the focus induced by the local heating after absorption
of the pump photons, affecting the propagation of the probe beam.Background-free SRS imaging through spectral
modulation. (a, b)
Schematic of the spectral modulator with the acousto-optic modulator
switched on (a) and off (b). (c, d) Comparison of SRS imaging by intensity
modulation to that by spectral modulation. The sample in panel c is
a dark hair at the interface between air and liquid, deuterated dimethyl
sulfoxide. The sample in panel d is a sebaceous gland under black
mouse skin. Scale bars: 20 μm.Another challenge associated with ultrafast pulse excitation
is
the increased potential of photodamage. To address this issue, an
SRL configuration has been widely adopted, where most of the excitation
power is carried by the longer wavelength Stokes beam.[16,19,31,37−40] It was shown that photodamage in nonlinear microscopy is largely
induced by two-photon and higher order multiphoton absorption of molecules.[41,42] Thus, the photodamage can be significantly reduced by excitation
at longer near-infrared wavelengths that has much less two-photon
absorption. By examination of cell blebbing and embryo growth, Zhang
et al. found negligible photodamage with 7.8 MW/cm2 fs
pulses around 1.0 μm excitation in the SRL imaging experiments.[19,43]
SRS Imaging Modalities
A schematic of a high-speed
SRS microscope is shown in Figure 4. Key components
needed for SRS imaging include
a dual-color laser source, an optical modulator, a laser scanner,
a detector, and an electronic demodulator. To date, SRS imaging has
been demonstrated in single-frequency, hyperspectral, and multiplex
modes. In this section, we review strategies that have been used for
these modalities.
Figure 4
High-speed SRS microscope. OM, optical modulator, typically
an
acousto-optic modulator or an electro-optic modulator; DS, delay stage;
SU, scanning unit; F, optical filter; PD, photodiode; Obj, objective
lens; OC, oil condenser; MS, mechanical stage. The laser source can
be either a dual-color picosecond laser or a dual-color femtosecond
laser. If femtosecond lasers are used, then a pulse shaper (dashed
box) is necessary for intrapulse spectral scan.
High-speed SRS microscope. OM, optical modulator, typically
an
acousto-optic modulator or an electro-optic modulator; DS, delay stage;
SU, scanning unit; F, optical filter; PD, photodiode; Obj, objective
lens; OC, oil condenser; MS, mechanical stage. The laser source can
be either a dual-color picosecond laser or a dual-color femtosecond
laser. If femtosecond lasers are used, then a pulse shaper (dashed
box) is necessary for intrapulse spectral scan.
Single-Frequency SRS Imaging
Single-frequency
SRS imaging focuses all the laser energy into a specific Raman mode
to gain the signal level. The width of a Raman band is typically at
the level of 10–100 cm–1. Therefore, to ensure
the chemical specificity, excitation of several wavenumbers of spectral
width or isolated Raman bands are preferred. Today, automatic wavelength
tuning is possible on a synchronously pumped OPO system. Kong et al.
recently reported a rapidly tunable OPO system that can perform fast
wavelength tuning for SRS imaging at multiple Raman shifts.[44] SRS imaging of a single Raman mode has shown
its capabilities in the characterization of cells and tissues.[16,19,39,40,45]It is important to recognize that
stimulated Raman scattering and spontaneous Raman scattering are complementary
techniques. Integrating single-color SRS imaging and spontaneous Raman
spectroscopy on a single platform has allowed quantitative compositional
analysis of single lipid droplets in live cells.[21] This capability led to the recent discovery of an aberrant
accumulation of cholesteryl ester in aggressive prostate cancer cells
but not in normal prostate tissues.[25]
Wavelength-Scanning Hyperspectral SRS Microscopy
Data acquisition in hyperspectral SRS imaging can be performed
by either wavelength scanning over a stack of frames, lines, or at
each pixel. Several types of spectral tuning have been demonstrated
over the past few years, including wavelength tuning of picosecond
laser sources,[26,37] intrapulse tuning of femtosecond
lasers,[27,29,30] and chirping
of femtosecond lasers.[28]Wavelength
scanning is a widely adopted approach for hyperspectral SRS.[26,37] Suhalim et al. demonstrated hyperspectral SRS imaging using point-by-point
tuning of the excitation picosecond laser.[26] The spectral tuning was accomplished through computer control of
the crystal temperature and cavity length of the OPO. The fastest
implementation of their system produced >50 spectrally resolved
frames
in ∼10 min. Faster scanning OPO with a 1.1 frames per second
tuning rate was demonstrated by Garbacik et al. in CARS microscopy.[46]As compared to tweaking the laser cavity,
spectral tuning of a
broadband femtosecond laser by the pulse-shaping technique provides
an alternative approach (Figure 4, inset).
Ozeki et al. developed fiber-amplified spectral filtering of a Ti:sappire
laser, in which a galvo mirror was relayed to a grating surface for
fast spectral tuning and a fiber tip was used for spectral filtering.[29,30] The sub-mW filtered pulse was then amplified by a home-built Yb
fiber amplifier. Zhang et al. utilized direct intrapulse spectral
scan of femtosecond pulses, based on a synchronously pumped OPO system.[27] An automated slit was placed at the Fourier
plane of a 4f pulse shaper for controllable spectral filtering and
intrapulse spectral scanning.Alternatively, the spectral focusing
method provides a relatively
simple and robust method to improve spectral resolution of broadband
femtosecond lasers.[47] In this method, positive
chirp is introduced by inserting glass rods into the laser beams,
and spectral tuning is essentially the tuning of timing between the
pulse trains. The complexity of the chirping method lies in the measurement
of Raman shift and the higher order dispersion. Fu et al. recently
demonstrated hyperspectral SRS imaging utilizing chirped femtosecond
pulses, in which the SRS imaging data over a 270 cm–1 spectral window was acquired within a minute.[28]
Multiplex Detection
Spectral scanning
over a stack of frames is subjected to long-term fluctuation and can
result in spectral and spatial distortions. Therefore, the ideal approach
for hyperspectral imaging would be acquisition of an SRS spectrum
at each pixel. Parallel detection of multiple spectral channels allows
spectrum acquisition within a single modulation cycle, thus eliminating
spectral artifacts caused by pulse-to-pulse fluctuations. Also, parallel
detection allows SRS imaging of a larger spectral window without increasing
the acquisition time. Fu et al. recently demonstrated parallel detected
three-channel SRS imaging by frequency coding, with a data acquisition
rate at ∼5 kHz.[48] Conventionally,
SRS imaging requires a high-frequency lock-in amplifier to demodulate
the signal, which makes parallel detection difficult, as each spectral
channel would require a separate lock-in amplifier. CCD detectors
used in multiplex CARS are not applicable for extraction of megahertz
signal because of low dynamic range. Cost-effective resonant amplifiers[20] provide the possibility for multiplex SRS imaging
through parallel detection of spectrally dispersed signals.
Quantitative Image Analysis
The goal of SRS image analysis
is to produce a concentration map
of each species along with the corresponding Raman spectrum. By means
of hyperspectral SRS imaging, a stack of XY images
at each Raman shift Ω is obtained (i.e., an XYΩ stack). This three-dimensional matrix contains spectral and
spatial information, which can be analyzed by chemometric approaches.[49] In general, the more prior knowledge of the
sample in hand, the less difficult it is to analyze the data. From
a completely known system to a completely unknown system, analytical
approaches for SRS imaging span from least-squares fitting[48] to principal component analysis[26] to multivariate analysis,[27,30,31] as discussed below.
Least-Squares
Fitting
For samples
with known compositions (e.g., a pharmaceutical formulation), least-squares
fitting provides a solid and rapid means to generate concentration
maps. For instance, Fu et al. used least-squares fitting-based analysis
to extract the concentration of a three-component system, where oleic
acid, cholesterol, and cyclohexane with difference ratios were identified.[48]
Principal Component Analysis
Principal
component analysis (PCA) is a widely used approach to identify the
major components of a data set and has been used for both CARS[13,50] and SRS[26] image analysis. The PCA method
rotates the coordinates of the original data set and transforms it
into a new space, where the principal components is classified, and
a binary map can be obtained by clustering the data points. The concentration
maps are, however, difficult to interpret, which makes PCA a qualitative
rather than quantitative method.
Multivariate
Analysis
Multivariate
analysis focuses on extracting the spectrum of each component along
with the concentration map with limited prior knowledge. Multivariate
curve resolution (MCR), as an example, decomposes the data matrix
(D) into concentration matrix (C) and spectra matrix (S), as shown
in Figure 5.[51] Certain
constraints can be applied to the analysis, such as positive concentration
and spectrum values. In work by Zhang et al., MCR analysis enabled
the mapping of the major components in a single cell based on their
spectral features in the overlapped C–H region.[27] By analyzing the hyperspectral SRS matrix in
the fingerprint region, Wang et al. found that the unsaturation ratio
is not uniform among the lipid droplets in an intact atherosclerotic
tissue.[31] Meanwhile, Ozeki et al. developed
a multivariate approach for SRS spectral imaging based on independent
component analysis.[30] Similar methods were
developed for CARS imaging by Cicerone and co-workers[52] and Langbein and co-workers,[53] respectively.
Figure 5
Flowchart of multivariate curve resolution (MCR). The
hyperspectral
stack is unfolded to data matrix D for MCR to obtain concentration
matrix C and spectra matrix ST. Matrix C is then refolded
into concentration maps for each component.
Flowchart of multivariate curve resolution (MCR). The
hyperspectral
stack is unfolded to data matrix D for MCR to obtain concentration
matrix C and spectra matrix ST. Matrix C is then refolded
into concentration maps for each component.
Applications of SRS Microscopy
Various
demonstrations of SRS microscopy have shown it to be a
capable platform for high-speed spectral imaging of samples ranging
from single cells to humanpatient tissues. The journey has begun
for SRS imaging to address important biological questions. Below,
we discuss such recent applications enabled by SRS imaging.Single-cell analysis has become a new frontier in molecular biology.[54] SRS microscopy has demonstrated its ability
to map chemical species with subcellular resolution. Cellular uptake
and intracellular fate of fatty acids were visualized by SRS imaging
of deuterated fatty acids, revealing that oleic fatty acid facilitates
the conversion of palmitic fatty acid into lipid bodies (Figure 6a,b).[19] Likewise, deuterated
amino acids were administered to cells as substrates for protein synthesis,
and newly synthesized proteins were mapped in real time (Figure 6c,d).[39] As well, label-free
hyperspectral SRS imaging of cells showed the capability for mapping
major cellular contents (Figure 6e–h).[27−29] SRS imaging of nucleic acids was demonstrated for studying metabolic
processes (Figure 6i–l).[55] Collectively, these examples demonstrate the
potential from in vitro analysis of molecules in a test tube to in
vivo analysis of molecules in a single live cell.
Figure 6
Cellular imaging applications.
(a, b) C–D (a) and C–H
(b) SRS images of CHO cells treated with palmitic acid and oleate.
Adapted from ref (19). Copyright 2011 American Chemical Society. (c, d) SRS images of
HeLa cells treated with a deuterated set of all amino acids. Adapted
with permission from ref (39). Copyright 2013 National Academy of Sciences. (e) Label-free
hyperspectral SRS imaging of MCF7 cells from 2830 to 3010 cm–1. (f–h) MCR results of the spectral stack from panel e, including
lipid content (f), protein/nucleotide (g), and water (h). Adapted
from ref (27). Copyright
2013 American Chemical Society. (i–l) Label-free SRS images
of nucleic acids in live cells at C–H band (i), amide-I band
(j), and nucleic acid (k, l). Adapted with permission from ref (55). Copyright 2012 Wiley-VCH
Verlag GmbH and Co.
Cellular imaging applications.
(a, b) C–D (a) and C–H
(b) SRS images of CHO cells treated with palmitic acid and oleate.
Adapted from ref (19). Copyright 2011 American Chemical Society. (c, d) SRS images of
HeLa cells treated with a deuterated set of all amino acids. Adapted
with permission from ref (39). Copyright 2013 National Academy of Sciences. (e) Label-free
hyperspectral SRS imaging of MCF7 cells from 2830 to 3010 cm–1. (f–h) MCR results of the spectral stack from panel e, including
lipid content (f), protein/nucleotide (g), and water (h). Adapted
from ref (27). Copyright
2013 American Chemical Society. (i–l) Label-free SRS images
of nucleic acids in live cells at C–H band (i), amide-I band
(j), and nucleic acid (k, l). Adapted with permission from ref (55). Copyright 2012 Wiley-VCH
Verlag GmbH and Co.SRS mapping at the tissue
level opens a new door for medical applications,
such as cancer detection[56,57] and drug screening.[16,27,58] Zhang et al. utilized dimethyl
sulfoxide as a model drug for skin treatment and imaged the adipose
tissue in the hypodermis, unraveling the drug content from the overlapped
Raman bands in the C–H vibration region.[27] Mansfield et al. demonstrated SRS imaging of fresh articular
cartilage tissue to visualize subcellular lipids and proteins as well
as the mineral contents.[59] Their hyperspectral
SRS imaging in the C–H vibration region showed variations in
protein and lipid contents in different cells, whereas by using the
phosphate band at 959 cm–1 and the carbonate band
at 1070 cm–1, mineral content of the cartilage could
be imaged. Therefore, the visualization of mineral content by SRS
offers new opportunities for osteoarthritis research. Furthermore,
SRS imaging of live model organisms such as Caenorhabditis
elegans opens new opportunities for lipid metabolism
research.[19,60−62]To illustrate
the power of SRS for tissue analysis, hyperspectral
SRS imaging and MCR analysis of a fatty liver tissue are shown in
Figure 7. The SRS images were taken in a spectral
window from 1620 to 1700 cm–1, where there is a
C=C stretching band contributed by lipid peaks at 1655 cm–1, a broad amide-I band from proteins/nucleotides around
1660 cm–1, and a weak O–H bending band from
water around 1640 cm–1. By MCR analysis, maps of
these major components were constructed (Figure 7a–d). The corresponding Raman spectra are shown in Figure 7e.
Figure 7
Hyperspectral SRS imaging and MCR analysis of a mouse
liver tissue.
(a–c) Concentration maps of lipid droplets, proteins, and water
produced by MCR analysis of SRS images. Scale bar: 20 μm. (d)
Composite image: green, lipid droplets; purple, protein; and blue,
water. (e) MCR resolved spectra.
Hyperspectral SRS imaging and MCR analysis of a mouse
liver tissue.
(a–c) Concentration maps of lipid droplets, proteins, and water
produced by MCR analysis of SRS images. Scale bar: 20 μm. (d)
Composite image: green, lipid droplets; purple, protein; and blue,
water. (e) MCR resolved spectra.An important application is selective imaging of cholesterol,
which
plays important roles in cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other
disorders. Mapping cholesterol and its derivatives in situ and in
vivo is a remaining challenge. Lim et al. and Suhalim et al. demonstrated
hyperspectral CARS and SRS imaging of cholesterol crystal in cells
and tissues.[26,63] Wang et al. recently demonstrated
hyperspectral SRS imaging in the fingerprint region to map cholesterol
storage in an arterial tissue.[31] Although
the Raman bands for fat, cholesterol, and protein reside in the same
spectral window (around the 1600 cm–1 region), their
spectral peaks and widths differ for the sterolC=C band, acyl
C=C band, esterC=O band, and the amide-I band. Quantitative
chemical maps were obtained by MCR analysis of the SRS spectral imaging
stack in the 1620 to 1800 cm–1 window.Label-free,
noninvasive SRS imaging also allows translational medical
imaging applications. A recent study by Ji et al. demonstrated the
potential of SRS imaging for intraoperative detection of residual
disease during brain cancer surgeries,[57] in which qualitative maps based on protein/collagen contrast were
obtained in real time for determination of tumor presence.While
imaging of animal tissues plays an important role in biomedical
research, plant tissues are of great significance for agricultural
sciences. Recent work performing SRS imaging of cell wall components,
including biomass conversion[45] and epicuticular
waxes in plants,[37] has created new possibilities
in botanical and agricultural research.
Outlook
Although SRS microscopy is still in its early stages, this technique
has shown great promise in single-cell imaging, tissue analysis, and
medical diagnosis. We anticipate several new directions in the future
development of SRS microscopy. First, the imaging capability can be
significantly enhanced by coupling SRS microscopy with the development
of Raman tags. For example, the C–D bonds have been used for
SRS imaging of fatty acid metabolism[19] and
amino acid metabolism.[39] Second, multiplex
SRS microscopy, which records a Raman spectrum in a defined spectral
window on a microsecond time scale, has the potential to become a
powerful platform for live cell imaging. With multiplex SRS, important
spectral information other than Raman intensity, including Raman shift
and line width, can be used as contrast to “watch” biochemistry
in real time in live cells. Third, the field of SRS microscopy will
be promoted by the development of new laser sources. Current SRS microscopes
are largely based on single-box, two-color picosecond or femtosecond
solid-state lasers. Highly compact, cost-effective, low-noise fiber
laser sources (e.g., the time-lens source[38]) will lead to wider adaption of this new imaging modality. Finally,
together with the fiber laser source development,[64] miniature SRS imaging systems[65] have the potential of finding use in operating rooms for diagnosis
of residual cancerous tissues.
Authors: Shuhua Yue; Juan Manuel Cárdenas-Mora; Lesley S Chaboub; Sophie A Lelièvre; Ji-Xin Cheng Journal: Biophys J Date: 2012-03-06 Impact factor: 4.033
Authors: Christian W Freudiger; Wenlong Yang; Gary R Holtom; Nasser Peyghambarian; X Sunney Xie; Khanh Q Kieu Journal: Nat Photonics Date: 2014-02-01 Impact factor: 38.771
Authors: Erik T Garbacik; Jeroen P Korterik; Cees Otto; Shaul Mukamel; Jennifer L Herek; Herman L Offerhaus Journal: Phys Rev Lett Date: 2011-12-16 Impact factor: 9.161
Authors: Damon DePaoli; Émile Lemoine; Katherine Ember; Martin Parent; Michel Prud'homme; Léo Cantin; Kevin Petrecca; Frédéric Leblond; Daniel C Côté Journal: J Biomed Opt Date: 2020-05 Impact factor: 3.170