title: Monitoring wound healing of elastic cartilage using multiphoton microscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate the ability of multiphoton microscopy (MPM) for monitoring wound healing of elastic cartilage.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a rabbit ear model, four cartilage specimen groups at 1-day, 1-, 4-, 20-week healing time points as well as a normal elastic cartilage were examined with MPM without using labeling agents. MPM images at wound margins were obtained from specimens at different healing stages, compared with the Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained images. Image analysis was performed to characterize the collagen morphology for quantifying the wound healing progression of elastic cartilage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MPM provided high-resolution images of elastic cartilage at varying depths. Comparisons of the images of specimens at different healing stages show obvious cell growth and matrix deposition. The results are consistent with the histological results. Moreover, quantitative analysis results show significant alteration in the collagen cavity size or collagen orientation index during wound healing of elastic cartilage, indicating the possibility to act as indicators for monitoring wound healing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggested that MPM has the ability to monitor the wound healing progression of elastic cartilage, based on the visualization of cell growth and proliferation and quantitative characterization of collagen morphology during wound healing.
authors: Institute of Laser and Optoelectronics Technology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Photonics Technology, Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, PR China. Electronic address: zhuxq@fjnu.edu.cn.
authors: X
authors: X
authors: Zhu
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Tang
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Chen
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Xiong
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Zhuo
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004431:Ear, External / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D051472:Elastic Cartilage / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D036641:Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton / Q000379:methods; D011817:Rabbits; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen
keywords: Auricular elastic cartilage; Collagen; Multiphoton microscopy; Second harmonic generation; Two-photon excited fluorescence; Wound healing