SEMINARS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Ultra-Sensitive Imaging of Lipid Droplet Formation in Living Monocytes

Thomas Huser, PhD

Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TGRL) distribute lipids and energy to cells through the vascular system. TGRL particle size and their chemical composition and structure are all implicated in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Recent work has shown that monocytes treated with TGRL lipolysis products form lipid droplets in their cytoplasm. Live cells treated directly with free fatty acids, such as oleic acid also form similar lipid droplets. This process, might lead to the creation of precursors to foam cells, the main culprits in atherosclerosis. By directly labeling fatty acids with small molecule markers with unique Raman-spectral signatures this process can be directly visualized with high contrast and high specificity in live cells by coherent Raman scattering (CRS) microscopy. To further increase the sensitivity of CRS, we have developed a new approach called doubly-resonant four-wave mixing (DR-FWM) microscopy, which exploits interferences between two Raman resonances and enables us to further improve the sensitivity and selectivity of nonlinear vibrational microscopy.

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sponsored by

The Laser Microbeam and Medical Program (LAMMP)
a NIH biotechnology resource facility at the Beckman Laser Institute