Cell tracking in live Caenorhabditis elegans embryos via third harmonic generation imaging microscopy measurements

In this study, we demonstrate the potential of employing third harmonic generation (THG) imag- ing microscopy measurements for cell tracking studies in live Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans )e mbryos. A 1028-nm femtosecond laser was used for the excitation of unstained C. elegans samples. Different C. elegans em- bryonic stages (from two-cell to threefold) were imaged. Live biological specimens were irradiated for prolonged periods of time (up to 7 h), testifying to the nondestructive nature of this nonlinear imaging technique. Thus, THG image contrast modality is a powerful diagnostic tool for probing in vivo cell division during early embryogenesis. C