Label-free fast 3D coherent imaging reveals pancreatic islet micro-vascularization and dynamic blood flow.

Corinne Berclaz,Paul J Marchand,Arno Bouwens,Julia Nilsson,Daniel Szlag,Theo Lasser,Anja Schmidt-Christensen,David Nguyen,Jérôme Extermann,Anne Grapin-Botton,Dan Holmberg

doi:10.1364/boe.7.004569

Abstract

In diabetes, pancreatic β-cells play a key role. These cells are clustered within structures called islets of Langerhans inside the pancreas and produce insulin, which is directly secreted into the blood stream. The dense vascularization of islets of Langerhans is critical for maintaining a proper regulation of blood glucose homeostasis and is known to be affected from the early stage of diabetes. The deep localization of these islets inside the pancreas in the abdominal cavity renders their in vivo visualization a challenging task. A fast label-free imaging method with high spatial resolution is required to study the vascular network of islets of Langerhans. Based on these requirements, we developed a label-free and three-dimensional imaging method for observing islets of Langerhans using extended-focus Fourier domain Optical Coherence Microscopy (xfOCM). In addition to structural imaging, this system provides three-dimensional vascular network imaging and dynamic blood flow information within islets of Langerhans. We propose our method to deepen the understanding of the interconnection between diabetes and the evolution of the islet vascular network.

Highlights

The pancreas is a gland located in the abdominal cavity with two distinct functions: an exocrine function involved in digestion and an endocrine function important for glucose homeostasis
The endocrine function is assumed by highly vascularized structures called islets of Langerhans, which are scattered throughout the exocrine tissue, and release hormones into the blood vessels
Using functional optical coherence imaging (FOCI), we found that there is a strong correlation between the increasing inflammation of the islets and the density of their vascular network [6]

Summary

Introduction

The pancreas is a gland located in the abdominal cavity with two distinct functions: an exocrine function involved in digestion and an endocrine function important for glucose homeostasis. C. Powers, "Real-time, multidimensional in vivo imaging used to investigate blood flow in mouse pancreatic islets," J. W. Piston, "Glucose-dependent blood flow dynamics in murine pancreatic islets in vivo," Am. J.

Results

Conclusion