two-photon intravital microscopy in mouse model of glioblastoma

Real-Time Tracking of Nanoparticles in Brain Tumors Using 2P-IVM in Mice

Two-photon intravital microscopy (2P-IVM) is a fluorescence imaging technique that allows the visualization of living tissue1.
First developed in the 1990s, 2P-IVM has been used for in vivo analysis of the retina2, kidney3, small intestine4, cochlea5, heart6, trachea7, and the brain in various preclinical models8,9. In the field of neuroscience, 2P-IVM has gained importance as a technique for real-time imaging of the healthy brain in awake animals10, as well as studying diseases of the nervous system such as Alzheimer&#39;s11, Parkinson&#39;s12 and glioblastoma (GBM)13,14,15,16.
2P-IVM offers an elegant solution for studying the tumor microenvironment during the development of GBM. While some previous studies focused on in vitro17 and ex vivo models18, others implemented orthotopic19 and xenotropic20&#160;in vivo models for examining GBM. Madden et al. performed native imaging of CNS-1 rat glioma cell line in a mouse model13. Using an orthotopic GL261-DsRed murine model, Ricard et al. performed an intravenous administration of a fluorophore to enhance the blood vessels in the tumor region in 2P-IVM14.
Here, we apply 2P-IVM for tracking the tumor delivery of fluorescent-labeled iron oxide nanoparticles (NP) in an orthotopic mouse model of GBM. Using a cranial window, this method allows us to study the real-time spatiotemporal distribution of NPs in the brain in detail.

Author Spotlight: Multimodal Imaging Strategies for Optimizing Drug Delivery and Early Detection in Glioblastoma Treatment

Two-Photon Intravital Microscopy of Glioblastoma in a Murine Model

Glioblastoma is one of the most common primary brain cancer and is associated with fast growth and poor life expectancy. Developing effective therapies for glioblastoma remains a major challenge since the delivery of therapeutics is limited by the blood brain barrier. A method to directly image the accumulation and distribution of macromolecules in the brain would greatly enhance our ability to understand and optimize drug delivery.Two-photon microscopy offers an elegant solution for studying the real-time distribution of nanoparticles in the preclinical model of glioblastoma. By modifying the nanoparticle used in this study, it's possible to investigate the delivery of different drug candidates and combination therapies on a cellular and molecular level. In addition to two-photon intravital microscopy, the iron oxide component of these nanoparticles allow for multimodal imaging with MRI or MPI.For the future, imaging facilities could serve in the realization of early detection to cancer, thereby leading to more effective therapies against malignant neoplasia. One path to achieve this is to merge two-photon intravital microscopy with other imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography and photoacoustic ultrasound.

Two-Photon Intravital Microscopy in Mouse Model of Glioblastoma

two-photon-intravital-microscopy-in-mouse-model-of-glioblastoma

Research

JoVE Journal

Cancer Research

The delivery of intravenously administered cancer therapeutics to brain tumors is limited by the blood-brain barrier. A method to directly image the accumulation and distribution of macromolecules in brain tumors in vivo would greatly enhance our ability to understand and optimize drug delivery in preclinical models. This protocol describes a method for real-time in vivo tracking of intravenously administered fluorescent-labeled nanoparticles with two-photon intravital microscopy (2P-IVM) in a mouse model of glioblastoma (GBM).
The protocol contains a multi-step description of the procedure, including anesthesia and analgesia of experimental animals, creating a cranial window, GBM cell implantation, placing a head bar, conducting 2P-IVM studies, and post-surgical care for long-term follow-up studies. We show representative 2P-IVM imaging sessions and image analysis, examine the advantages and disadvantages of this technology, and discuss potential applications.
This method can be easily modified and adapted for different research questions in the field of in vivo preclinical brain imaging.

We present a novel approach for two-photon microscopy of the tumor delivery of fluorescent-labeled iron oxide nanoparticles to glioblastoma in a mouse model.

The delivery of intravenously administered cancer therapeutics to brain tumors is limited by the blood-brain barrier. A method to directly image the ...