Correlative near-infrared light and cathodoluminescence microscopy using Y2O3:Ln, Yb (Ln = Tm, Er) nanophosphors for multiscale, multicolour bioimaging

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 25950
• Main Authors: Fukushima, S., Furukawa, T., Niioka, H., Ichimiya, M., Sannomiya, T., Tanaka, N., Onoshima, D., Yukawa, H., Baba, Y., Ashida, M., Miyake, J., Araki, T., Hashimoto, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 17.05.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 14/63; 639/624/1107/328; 639/624/1107/328/1649; 639/925/350/354; 639/925/930/2735; Fascia; Humanities and Social Sciences; I.R. radiation; Irradiation; Luminescence; Microscopy; multidisciplinary; Probes; Science; Spatial discrimination
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep25950

This paper presents a new correlative bioimaging technique using Y 2 O 3 :Tm, Yb and Y 2 O 3 :Er, Yb nanophosphors (NPs) as imaging probes that emit luminescence excited by both near-infrared (NIR) light and an electron beam. Under 980 nm NIR light irradiation, the Y 2 O 3 :Tm, Yb and Y 2 O 3 :Er, Yb NPs emitted NIR luminescence (NIRL) around 810 nm and 1530 nm, respectively and cathodoluminescence at 455 nm and 660 nm under excitation of accelerated electrons, respectively. Multimodalities of the NPs were confirmed in correlative NIRL/CL imaging and their locations were visualized at the same observation area in both NIRL and CL images. Using CL microscopy, the NPs were visualized at the single-particle level and with multicolour. Multiscale NIRL/CL bioimaging was demonstrated through in vivo and in vitro NIRL deep-tissue observations, cellular NIRL imaging and high-spatial resolution CL imaging of the NPs inside cells. The location of a cell sheet transplanted onto the back muscle fascia of a hairy rat was visualized through NIRL imaging of the Y 2 O 3 :Er, Yb NPs. Accurate positions of cells through the thickness (1.5 mm) of a tissue phantom were detected by NIRL from the Y 2 O 3 :Tm, Yb NPs. Further, locations of the two types of NPs inside cells were observed using CL microscopy.