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Review
. 2021 Feb 17:9:627462.
doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.627462. eCollection 2021.

Actually Seeing What Is Going on - Intravital Microscopy in Tissue Engineering

Ravikumar Vaghela  1 , Andreas Arkudas  1 , Raymund E Horch  1 , Maximilian Hessenauer  1
Affiliations
Review

Actually Seeing What Is Going on - Intravital Microscopy in Tissue Engineering

Ravikumar Vaghela et al. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. .

Abstract

Intravital microscopy (IVM) study approach offers several advantages over in vitro, ex vivo, and 3D models. IVM provides real-time imaging of cellular events, which provides us a comprehensive picture of dynamic processes. Rapid improvement in microscopy techniques has permitted deep tissue imaging at a higher resolution. Advances in fluorescence tagging methods enable tracking of specific cell types. Moreover, IVM can serve as an important tool to study different stages of tissue regeneration processes. Furthermore, the compatibility of different tissue engineered constructs can be analyzed. IVM is also a promising approach to investigate host reactions on implanted biomaterials. IVM can provide instant feedback for improvising tissue engineering strategies. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the requirements and applications of different IVM approaches. First, we will discuss the history of IVM development, and then we will provide an overview of available optical modalities including the pros and cons. Later, we will summarize different fluorescence labeling methods. In the final section, we will discuss well-established chronic and acute IVM models for different organs.

Keywords: biomaterial; fluorescence; in vivo; intravital microscopy; leukocyte recruitment; tissue engineering.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Schematic representation of cremaster muscle model for IVM.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Schematic illustration of the ear pinna model for IVM.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Schematic diagram of a mouse with a dorsal skinfold chamber for IVM.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Schematic diagram of the skull cranial window for IVM. (A) Thinned-skull cranial window, (B) open-skull cranial window. (C) Dorsal view of the cranial window.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Illustration of IVM images using different microscopy methods. (A) IVM image of FITC-Dextran labeled microvasculature in the skinfold chamber, scale bar: 100 μm. (B) 2 PM THG image of collagen in the skinfold chamber, scale bar: 100 μm. (C) IVM image showing leukocytes labeled with Rhodamine 6G in the skinfold chamber, scale bar: 100 μm. (D) RLOT image of the cremaster muscle, scale bar: 50 μm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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