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Chen A, Harris ZB, Virk A, Abazari A, Varadaraj K, Honkanen R, Arbab MH. Assessing Corneal Endothelial Damage Using Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy and Support Vector Machines. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:9071. [PMID: 36501773 PMCID: PMC9735956 DOI: 10.3390/s22239071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The endothelial layer of the cornea plays a critical role in regulating its hydration by actively controlling fluid intake in the tissue via transporting the excess fluid out to the aqueous humor. A damaged corneal endothelial layer leads to perturbations in tissue hydration and edema, which can impact corneal transparency and visual acuity. We utilized a non-contact terahertz (THz) scanner designed for imaging spherical targets to discriminate between ex vivo corneal samples with intact and damaged endothelial layers. To create varying grades of corneal edema, the intraocular pressures of the whole porcine eye globe samples (n = 19) were increased to either 25, 35 or 45 mmHg for 4 h before returning to normal pressure levels at 15 mmHg for the remaining 4 h. Changes in tissue hydration were assessed by differences in spectral slopes between 0.4 and 0.8 THz. Our results indicate that the THz response of the corneal samples can vary according to the differences in the endothelial cell density, as determined by SEM imaging. We show that this spectroscopic difference is statistically significant and can be used to assess the intactness of the endothelial layer. These results demonstrate that THz can noninvasively assess the corneal endothelium and provide valuable complimentary information for the study and diagnosis of corneal diseases that perturb the tissue hydration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Zachery B. Harris
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Arjun Virk
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Azin Abazari
- Department of Ophthalmology, Renaissance School of Medicine, 101 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Kulandaiappan Varadaraj
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Renaissance School of Medicine, 101 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Robert Honkanen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Renaissance School of Medicine, 101 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Mohammad Hassan Arbab
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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Tassinari R, Cavallini C, Olivi E, Facchin F, Taglioli V, Zannini C, Marcuzzi M, Ventura C. Cell Responsiveness to Physical Energies: Paving the Way to Decipher a Morphogenetic Code. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063157. [PMID: 35328576 PMCID: PMC8949133 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
We discuss emerging views on the complexity of signals controlling the onset of biological shapes and functions, from the nanoarchitectonics arising from supramolecular interactions, to the cellular/multicellular tissue level, and up to the unfolding of complex anatomy. We highlight the fundamental role of physical forces in cellular decisions, stressing the intriguing similarities in early morphogenesis, tissue regeneration, and oncogenic drift. Compelling evidence is presented, showing that biological patterns are strongly embedded in the vibrational nature of the physical energies that permeate the entire universe. We describe biological dynamics as informational processes at which physics and chemistry converge, with nanomechanical motions, and electromagnetic waves, including light, forming an ensemble of vibrations, acting as a sort of control software for molecular patterning. Biomolecular recognition is approached within the establishment of coherent synchronizations among signaling players, whose physical nature can be equated to oscillators tending to the coherent synchronization of their vibrational modes. Cytoskeletal elements are now emerging as senders and receivers of physical signals, "shaping" biological identity from the cellular to the tissue/organ levels. We finally discuss the perspective of exploiting the diffusive features of physical energies to afford in situ stem/somatic cell reprogramming, and tissue regeneration, without stem cell transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Tassinari
- ELDOR LAB, National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy; (R.T.); (C.C.); (E.O.); (V.T.); (C.Z.)
| | - Claudia Cavallini
- ELDOR LAB, National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy; (R.T.); (C.C.); (E.O.); (V.T.); (C.Z.)
| | - Elena Olivi
- ELDOR LAB, National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy; (R.T.); (C.C.); (E.O.); (V.T.); (C.Z.)
| | - Federica Facchin
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Valentina Taglioli
- ELDOR LAB, National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy; (R.T.); (C.C.); (E.O.); (V.T.); (C.Z.)
| | - Chiara Zannini
- ELDOR LAB, National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy; (R.T.); (C.C.); (E.O.); (V.T.); (C.Z.)
| | - Martina Marcuzzi
- INBB, Biostructures and Biosystems National Institute, Viale Medaglie d’Oro 305, 00136 Rome, Italy;
| | - Carlo Ventura
- ELDOR LAB, National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy; (R.T.); (C.C.); (E.O.); (V.T.); (C.Z.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-347-920-6992
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Abstract
Proteins play a key role in living organisms. The study of proteins and their dynamics provides information about their functionality, catalysis and potential alterations towards pathological diseases. Several techniques are used for studying protein dynamics, e.g., magnetic resonance, fluorescence imaging techniques, mid-infrared spectroscopy and biochemical assays. Spectroscopic analysis, based on the use of terahertz (THz) radiation with frequencies between 0.1 and 15 THz (3–500 cm−1), was underestimated by the biochemical community. In recent years, however, the potential of THz spectroscopy in the analysis of both simple structures, such as polypeptide molecules, and complex structures, such as protein complexes, has been demonstrated. The THz absorption spectrum provides some information on proteins: for small molecules the THz spectrum is dominated by individual modes related to the presence of hydrogen bonds. For peptides, the spectral information concerns their secondary structure, while for complex proteins such as globular proteins and viral glycoproteins, spectra also provide information on collective modes. In this short review, we discuss the results obtained by THz spectroscopy in the protein dynamics investigations. In particular, we will illustrate advantages and applications of THz spectroscopy, pointing out the complementary information it may provide.
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