Label-free assessment of carotid artery biochemical composition using fiber-based fluorescence lifetime imaging

Novel diagnostic tools with the ability to monitor variations in biochemical composition and provide benchmark indicators of vascular tissue maturation are needed to create functional tissue replacements. We investigated the ability of fiber-based, label-free multispectral fluorescent lifetime imaging (FLIm) to quantify the anatomical variations in biochemical composition of native carotid arteries and validated these results against biochemical assays. FLIm-derived parameters in spectral band 415–455 nm correlated with tissue collagen content (R(2) = 0.64) and cell number (R(2) = 0.61) and in spectral band 465–553 nm strongly correlated with elastin content (R(2) = 0.89). These results suggest that FLIm holds great potential for assessing vascular tissue maturation and functional properties based on tissue autofluorescence.