Monitoring cells in engineered tissues with optical coherence phase microscopy: Optical phase fluctuations as endogenous sources of contrast

Abstract

There is a need in tissue engineering to monitor cell growth and health within 3D constructs non-invasively and in a label-free manner. We have previously shown that optical coherence phase microscopy was sensitive enough to monitor intracellular motion. Here we demonstrate that intracellular motility can be used as an endogeneous contrast agent to image cells in various 3D engineered tissue architectures. Phase and intensity-based reconstruction algorithms are compared. In this study, we used an optical coherence phase microscope set up in a common path configuration, developed around a Callisto OCT engine (Thorlbas) centred at 930nm and an inverted microscope with a custom scanning head. Intensity data were used to perform in-depth microstructural imaging. In addition, phase fluctuations were measured by collecting several successive B scans at the same location, and the first time derivative of the phase, i.e. time fluctuations, was analysed over the acquisition time interval to map the motility. Alternative intensity-based Doppler variance algorithms were also investigated. Two distinct scaffold systems seeded with adult stem cells; algimatrix (Invitrogen) and custom microfabricated poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) fibrous scaffolds, as well as cell pellets were imaged. We showed that optical phase fluctuations resulting from intracellular motility can be used as an endogenous source of contrast for optical coherence phase microscopy enabling the distinction of viable cells from the surrounding scaffold.