Atherosclerosis staging: imaging using FLIM technique

In this work it was used fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) to analyze biochemical composition of atherosclerotic plaque. For this purpose an animal experimentation was done with New Zealand rabbits divided into two groups: a control group of 4 rabbits that received a regular diet for 0, 20, 40 and 60 days; and an experimental group of 9 rabbits, divided in 3 subgroups, that were fed with 1% cholesterol diet for 20, 40 and 60 days respectively. The aortas slices stained with europium chlortetracycline were analyzed by FLIM exciting samples at 440 nm. The results shown an increase in the lifetime imaging of rabbits fed with cholesterol. It was observed that is possible to detect the metabolic changes associated with atherosclerosis at an early stage using FLIM technique exciting the tissue around 440 nm and observing autofluorescence lifetime. Lifetimes longer than 1.75 ns suggest the presence of porphyrins in the tissue and consequently, inflammation and the presence of macrophages.