High-Resolution Phase-Contrast Imaging of Submicron Particles in Unstained Lung Tissue

Journal Article · Fri Sep 09 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3625383· OSTI ID:21608305

Schittny, J C; Barre, S F; Haberthuer, D ^[1]; Mokso, R ^[2]; Semmler-Behnke, M; Kreyling, W G ^[3]; Tsuda, A ^[4]; Stampanoni, M ^[2]

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1. Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 2, CH-3012 Bern (Switzerland)
2. Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, WBBA/216, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland)
3. Institute of Lung Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, D-85764 Neuherberg (Germany)
4. Dept. of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115 (United States)

To access the risks and chances of deposition of submicron particles in the gas-exchange area of the lung, a precise three-dimensional (3D)-localization of the sites of deposition is essential--especially because local peaks of deposition are expected in the acinar tree and in individual alveoli. In this study we developed the workflow for such an investigation. We administered 200-nm gold particles to young adult rats by intratracheal instillation. After fixation and paraffin embedding, their lungs were imaged unstained using synchrotron radiation x-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) at the beamline TOMCAT (Swiss Light Source, Villigen, Switzerland) at sample detector distances of 2.5 mm (absorption contrast) and of 52.5 mm (phase contrast). A segmentation based on a global threshold of grey levels was successfully done on absorption-contrast images for the gold and on the phase-contrast images for the tissue. The smallest spots containing gold possessed a size of 1-2 voxels of 370-nm side length. We conclude that a combination of phase and absorption contrast SRXTM imaging is necessary to obtain the correct segmentation of both tissue and gold particles. This method will be used for the 3D localization of deposited particles in the gas-exchange area of the lung.

• OSTI ID: 21608305
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1365, Issue 1; Conference: 10. international conference on X-ray microscopy, Chicago, IL (United States), 15-20 Aug 2010; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3625383; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
ABSORPTION
DEPOSITION
GOLD
IMAGE PROCESSING
IMAGES
LUNGS
MICROSCOPY
PARAFFIN
PARTICLES
RATS
RESOLUTION
SWISS LIGHT SOURCE
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
X RADIATION
ALKANES
ANIMALS
BODY
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
HYDROCARBONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MAMMALS
METALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIATIONS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RODENTS
SORPTION
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION SOURCES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VERTEBRATES
WAXES