Fluorescence life imaging of gold nanoparticle-labeled cells and its 3D reconstruction

To analyze the distribution and metabolism of gold nanoparticles in cells during the gold nanoparticles-based photodynamic therapy and photo-thermal therapy, the multiphoton fluorescence microscopy was used to image the gold nanoparticles labeled cells, and a region-based active contour model image segmentation algorithm was chosen to process the multiphoton fluorescence images of gold nanoparticles labeled cell. 60 thin slice images were reconstructed for a 3D cell image to draw a three-dimensional model of cell surface. The locations of gold nanoparticles in or on the cell were marked according to the fluorescence lifetime and intensity of gold nanoparticles. The results show that the gold nanoparticles can get into the cells, which is in accordance with the fact that antibody is internalized when the antibody combines with antigen. This technology is expected to more comprehensively investigate the interaction between gold nanoparticles and cell as well as the specific distribution of gold nanoparticles, for instance, in a certain cell organelle.