This report presents an optical fibre-based endo-microscopic imaging tool that simultaneously measures the topographic profile and 3D viscoelastic properties of biological specimens through the phenomenon of time-resolved Brillouin scattering. This uses the intrinsic viscoelasticity of the specimen as a contrast mechanism without fluorescent tags or photoacoustic contrast mechanisms. We demonstrate 2 μm lateral resolution and 320 nm axial resolution for the 3D imaging of biological cells and Caenorhabditis elegans larvae. This has enabled the first ever 3D stiffness imaging and characterisation of the C. elegans larva cuticle in-situ. A label-free, subcellular resolution, and endoscopic compatible technique that reveals structural biologically-relevant material properties of tissue could pave the way toward in-vivo elasticity-based diagnostics down to the single cell level.

该报告提出了一种基于光纤的内显微成像工具，可通过时间分辨布里渊散射现象同时测量生物样本的形貌轮廓和 3D 粘弹性特性。这使用样本的固有粘弹性作为对比机制，无需荧光标签或光声对比机制。我们展示了生物细胞和秀丽隐杆线虫幼虫 3D 成像的 2 μm 横向分辨率和 320 nm 轴向分辨率。这使得首次对线虫幼虫角质层进行原位 3D 硬度成像和表征成为可能。一种无标记、亚细胞分辨率和内窥镜兼容的技术，可以揭示组织的结构生物学相关材料特性，可以为基于体内弹性的诊断铺平道路，直至单细胞水平。