Imaging Melanin Distribution in the Zebrafish Retina Using Photothermal Optical Coherence Tomography. Transl Vis Sci Technol 2018;7(5):4
Date
09/11/2018Pubmed ID
30197836Pubmed Central ID
PMC6126953DOI
10.1167/tvst.7.5.4Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85053899557 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 31 CitationsAbstract
PURPOSE: To demonstrate and validate that photothermal optical coherence tomography (PT-OCT) can image melanin in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and can observe light-driven melanosome translocation in the zebrafish retina.
METHODS: A commercial spectral domain OCT system was modified to perform both OCT and PT-OCT. Four adult tyrosinase-mosaic zebrafish with varying levels of melanin expression across their retinas were imaged, and the PT-OCT signal for pigmented and nonpigmented regions were compared. Wild-type dark-adapted (n = 11 fish) and light-adapted (n = 10 fish) zebrafish were also imaged with OCT and PT-OCT. Longitudinal reflectivity and absorption profiles were generated from B-scans to compare the melanin distribution between the two groups.
RESULTS: A significant increase in PT-OCT signal (P < 0.0001, Student's t-test) was observed in pigmented regions of interest (ROI) compared to nonpigmented ROIs in the tyrosinase-mosaic zebrafish, which confirms the PT-OCT signal is specific to melanin in the eye. A significant increase in PT-OCT signal intensity (P < 0.0001, Student's t-test) was also detected in the light-adapted wild-type zebrafish group compared to the dark-adapted group. Additionally, light-adapted zebrafish display more distinct melanin banding patterns than do dark-adapted zebrafish in PT-OCT B-scans.
CONCLUSIONS: PT-OCT can detect different levels of melanin absorption and characterize pigment distribution in the zebrafish retina, including intracellular changes due to light-driven melanosome translocation within the RPE.
TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: PT-OCT could quantify changes in pigmentation that occur in retinal diseases. The functional information provided by PT-OCT may also enable a better understanding of the anatomical features within conventional OCT images.
Author List
Lapierre-Landry M, Huckenpahler AL, Link BA, Collery RF, Carroll J, Skala MCAuthors
Joseph J. Carroll PhD Director, Professor in the Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences department at Medical College of WisconsinRoss F. Collery PhD Assistant Professor in the Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Alison Huckenpahler in the CTSI department at Medical College of Wisconsin - CTSI
Brian A. Link PhD Professor in the Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy department at Medical College of Wisconsin
