Multiphoton autofluorescence imaging of advanced glycation end products in glycated tissues

The formation and accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) contribute to diabetic complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, and cardiovascular diseases. It is clear that the development of effective technique in AGEs detection and the establishing the correlation of measured AGE parameters to diabetic pathogenesis are invaluable in the monitoring of disease progression and drug discovery of anti-AGE compounds. Since some AGE are fluorescent, we propose to investigate the degree of tissue glycation in forming fluorescent AGEs (fAGEs). In this preliminary study, we will investigate the effects of glucose, fructose, and galactose, three of the most abundant dietary simple sugars, in fAGEs production. Excised tissues will be treated in solutions containing the three sugar types; multiphoton autofluorescence imaging will then be performed on the treated tissues to determine their autofluroescence levels.