Rapid and label-free histological imaging of unprocessed surgical tissues via dark-field reflectance ultraviolet microscopy

Shiwei Ye; Junjie Zou; Chenming Huang; Feng Xiang; Zonghua Wen; Nannan Wang; Jia Yu; Yuezhi He; Peng Liu; Xin Mei; Hui Li; Lili Niu; Peng Gong; Wei Zheng

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.105849

Rapid and label-free histological imaging of unprocessed surgical tissues via dark-field reflectance ultraviolet microscopy

iScience. 2022 Dec 21;26(1):105849. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105849. eCollection 2023 Jan 20.

Authors

Shiwei Ye^{1

2}, Junjie Zou³, Chenming Huang^{1

2}, Feng Xiang^{1

2}, Zonghua Wen⁴, Nannan Wang^{1

2}, Jia Yu^{1

2}, Yuezhi He^{1

2}, Peng Liu⁵, Xin Mei⁶, Hui Li^{1

2}, Lili Niu³, Peng Gong^{7

8}, Wei Zheng^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Research Center for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Optical Imaging Technology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
³ Paul C. Lauterbur Research Center for Biomedical Imaging, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen 518055, China.
⁵ Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen University General Hospital & Carson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China.
⁶ Department of Neurosurgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou 510235, China.
⁷ Department of General Surgery & Institute of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumors, Shenzhen University General Hospital & Shenzhen University Clinical Medical Academy, Shenzhen 518055, China.
⁸ Carson International Cancer Center & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen 518055, China.

Abstract

Routine examination for intraoperative histopathologic assessment is lengthy and laborious. Here, we present the dark-field reflectance ultraviolet microscopy (DRUM) that enables label-free imaging of unprocessed and thick tissues with subcellular resolution and a high signal-to-background ratio. To the best of our knowledge, DRUM provides image results for pathological assessment with the shortest turnaround time (2-3 min in total from sample preparation to tissue imaging). We also proposed a virtual staining process to convert DRUM images into pseudo-colorized images and enhance the image familiarity of pathologists. By imaging various tissues, we found DRUM can resolve cell nuclei and some extranuclear features, which are comparable to standard H&E images. Furthermore, the essential diagnostic features of intraoperatively excised tumor tissues also can be revealed by DRUM, demonstrating its potential as an additional aid for intraoperative histopathology.

Keywords: cell biology; optical imaging; pathology.