An automated approach for three-dimensional quantification of fibrillar structures in optically cleared soft biological tissues
An automated approach for three-dimensional quantification of fibrillar structures in optically cleared soft biological tissues
复制标题
DOI：
10.1098/rsif.2012.0760
复制
发表时间：
2013-03-06
影响因子：
3.9
通讯作者：
Holzapfel, Gerhard A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Schriefl, Andreas J.;Wolinski, Heimo;Holzapfel, Gerhard A.
我们提出了一种新的方法，允许简单、快速和自动化的三维图像堆栈(Z-堆栈)的形态分析，该图像堆栈具有光学透明的软生物组织的纤维结构。以5例人腹主动脉非动脉粥样硬化组织标本为研究对象，提出了一种适用于不同组织类型的多用途方法学。它产生了相对幅度的三维方向分布，代表了原始的胶原纤维形态，识别了没有观察到优先纤维取向的各向同性区域，并确定了各向异性区域的结构参数，用于分析和数值模拟生物力学参数，如应力和应变。我们的方法结合了光学组织清除和二次谐波成像、基于傅里叶分析的图像分析和用于分布拟合的最大似然估计。通过一种新的动脉样品制备方法，我们首次展示了胶原纤维在整个主动脉壁厚度上的连续三维分布，揭示了对三个动脉层的新的结构和组织洞察力。
We present a novel approach allowing for a simple, fast and automated morphological analysis of three-dimensional image stacks (z-stacks) featuring fibrillar structures from optically cleared soft biological tissues. Five non-atherosclerotic tissue samples from human abdominal aortas were used to outline the multi-purpose methodology, applicable to various tissue types. It yields a three-dimensional orientational distribution of relative amplitudes, representing the original collagen fibre morphology, identifies regions of isotropy where no preferred fibre orientations are observed and determines structural parameters throughout anisotropic regions for the analysis and numerical modelling of biomechanical quantities such as stress and strain. Our method combines optical tissue clearing with second-harmonic generation imaging, Fourier-based image analysis and maximum-likelihood estimation for distribution fitting. With a new sample preparation method for arteries, we present, for the first time to our knowledge, a continuous three-dimensional distribution of collagen fibres throughout the entire thickness of the aortic wall, revealing novel structural and organizational insights into the three arterial layers.