Imaging cancer-associated fibroblasts in human breast tumor tissue using multiphoton microscopy

Fibroblasts are important players in proliferation, invasion, migration and metastasis of cancer cells. Until now, histological methods such as hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining are still a gold standard to assess fibroblasts in traditional histopathology. Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) has become a key technology for biological tissues imaging without staining at the cellular level. In this study, MPM based on two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) was used to identify the fibroblasts in breast cancer tissue. Normal fibroblasts with spindle shape and abnormal fibroblasts with stellate shape could be clearly obtained by MPM.