title: Comparative evaluation of methylene blue and demeclocycline for enhancing optical contrast of gliomas in optical images.
abstract: Contrast agents have shown to be useful in the detection of cancers. The goal of this study was to compare enhancement of brain cancer contrast using reflectance and fluorescence confocal imaging of two fluorophores, methylene blue (MB) and demeclocycline (DMN). MB absorbs light in the red spectral range and fluoresces in the near-infrared. It is safe for in vivo staining of human skin and breast tissue. However, its safety for staining human brain is questionable. Thus, DMN, which absorbs light in the violet spectral range and fluoresces between 470 and 570 nm, could provide a safer alternative to MB. Fresh human gliomas, obtained from surgeries, were cut in half and stained with aqueous solutions of MB and DMN, respectively. Stained tissues were imaged using multimodal confocal microscopy. Resulting reflectance and fluorescence optical images were compared with hematoxylin and eosin histopathology, processed from each imaged tissue. Results indicate that images of tissues stained with either stain exhibit comparable contrast and resolution of morphological detail. Further studies are required to establish the safety and efficacy of these contrast agents for use in human brain.
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, One University Avenue, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854, United States.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wirth
authors.affiliation: NYU Langone Medical Center and Medical School, Department of Pathology, 530 First Avenue, Tisch 480, New York, New York 10016, United States.
authors.forename: Matija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Snuderl
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Gray 502, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, United States.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Curry
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, One University Avenue, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854, United States.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yaroslavsky
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000737:chemistry*; D003707:Demeclocycline / Q000737:chemistry*; D005910:Glioma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008751:Methylene Blue / Q000737:chemistry*; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D003707:Demeclocycline; D008751:Methylene Blue