High-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging exploiting wavelengths beyond 1880 nm

Abstract The second near-infrared (NIR-II) window is widely acknowledged for its excellent potential in in vivo fluorescence imaging. Currently, NIR-II fluorescence imaging predominantly operates within the 900-1880 nm spectral range, while the region beyond 1880 nm has been disregarded due to the l...

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Main Authors: Jiayi Li, Qiming Xia, Tianxiang Wu, Yuhuang Zhang, Shiyi Peng, Yifei Li, Yixuan Li, Hui Lin, Mingxi Zhang, Jun Qian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59630-4
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author Jiayi Li
Qiming Xia
Tianxiang Wu
Yuhuang Zhang
Shiyi Peng
Yifei Li
Yixuan Li
Hui Lin
Mingxi Zhang
Jun Qian
author_facet Jiayi Li
Qiming Xia
Tianxiang Wu
Yuhuang Zhang
Shiyi Peng
Yifei Li
Yixuan Li
Hui Lin
Mingxi Zhang
Jun Qian
author_sort Jiayi Li
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The second near-infrared (NIR-II) window is widely acknowledged for its excellent potential in in vivo fluorescence imaging. Currently, NIR-II fluorescence imaging predominantly operates within the 900-1880 nm spectral range, while the region beyond 1880 nm has been disregarded due to the large light absorption of water. Based on a refined understanding of the effect of light absorption on imaging, we propose an approach that utilizes the previously neglected region surrounding the water absorption peak at ~1930 nm for imaging. Both simulations and experiments confirm that the water absorption contributes positively to imaging, enabling high-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging in the 1880-2080 nm window. To further assess the applicability of this approach in different biological media, we extend our focus to fluorescence imaging in adipose tissue. This leads to the expansion of the imaging window to 1700-2080 nm, owing to the unique light absorption characteristics of adipose tissue. Our results demonstrate that the 1700-2080 nm region provides optimal imaging quality in adipose tissue, attributing to its moderate absorption and low scattering. This work advances our understanding of the interplay between light absorption and photon scattering in bioimaging, providing an insight for selecting optimal imaging windows to achieve high-contrast fluorescence imaging.
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issn 2041-1723
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spelling doaj-art-9ca27d31e0af4bb395d2458d4ef2022d2025-08-20T03:07:51ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-59630-4High-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging exploiting wavelengths beyond 1880 nmJiayi Li0Qiming Xia1Tianxiang Wu2Yuhuang Zhang3Shiyi Peng4Yifei Li5Yixuan Li6Hui Lin7Mingxi Zhang8Jun Qian9State Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentations, Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, College of Optical Science and Engineering, International Research Center for Advanced Photonics, Zhejiang UniversityDepartment of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentations, Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, College of Optical Science and Engineering, International Research Center for Advanced Photonics, Zhejiang UniversityState Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentations, Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, College of Optical Science and Engineering, International Research Center for Advanced Photonics, Zhejiang UniversityState Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentations, Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, College of Optical Science and Engineering, International Research Center for Advanced Photonics, Zhejiang UniversityState Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentations, Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, College of Optical Science and Engineering, International Research Center for Advanced Photonics, Zhejiang UniversityDepartment of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineDepartment of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of TechnologyState Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentations, Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, College of Optical Science and Engineering, International Research Center for Advanced Photonics, Zhejiang UniversityAbstract The second near-infrared (NIR-II) window is widely acknowledged for its excellent potential in in vivo fluorescence imaging. Currently, NIR-II fluorescence imaging predominantly operates within the 900-1880 nm spectral range, while the region beyond 1880 nm has been disregarded due to the large light absorption of water. Based on a refined understanding of the effect of light absorption on imaging, we propose an approach that utilizes the previously neglected region surrounding the water absorption peak at ~1930 nm for imaging. Both simulations and experiments confirm that the water absorption contributes positively to imaging, enabling high-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging in the 1880-2080 nm window. To further assess the applicability of this approach in different biological media, we extend our focus to fluorescence imaging in adipose tissue. This leads to the expansion of the imaging window to 1700-2080 nm, owing to the unique light absorption characteristics of adipose tissue. Our results demonstrate that the 1700-2080 nm region provides optimal imaging quality in adipose tissue, attributing to its moderate absorption and low scattering. This work advances our understanding of the interplay between light absorption and photon scattering in bioimaging, providing an insight for selecting optimal imaging windows to achieve high-contrast fluorescence imaging.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59630-4
spellingShingle Jiayi Li
Qiming Xia
Tianxiang Wu
Yuhuang Zhang
Shiyi Peng
Yifei Li
Yixuan Li
Hui Lin
Mingxi Zhang
Jun Qian
High-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging exploiting wavelengths beyond 1880 nm
Nature Communications
title High-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging exploiting wavelengths beyond 1880 nm
title_full High-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging exploiting wavelengths beyond 1880 nm
title_fullStr High-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging exploiting wavelengths beyond 1880 nm
title_full_unstemmed High-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging exploiting wavelengths beyond 1880 nm
title_short High-contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging exploiting wavelengths beyond 1880 nm
title_sort high contrast in vivo fluorescence imaging exploiting wavelengths beyond 1880 nm
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59630-4
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