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Second-order susceptibility (SOS) microscopy is used to image and characterize chondrogenesis in cultured human mesenchymal stem cells. SOS analysis shows that the SOS tensor ratios can be used to characterize type I and II collagens in living tissues and that both collagen types are produced at the onset of chondrogenesis. Time-lapse analysis shows a modulation of extracellular matrix results in a higher rate in increase of type II collagen, as compared to type I collagen. With time, type II collagen content stabilizes at the composition of 70% of total collagen content. SOS microscopy can be used to continuously and noninvasively monitor the production of collagens I and II. With additional development, this technique can be developed into an effective quality control tool for monitoring extracellular matrix production in engineered tissues., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In this study, intravital multiphoton microscopy was used to quantitatively investigate hepatobiliary metabolism in chronic pathologies of the liver. Specifically, through the use of the probe molecule 6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate, the effects of liver fibrosis, fatty liver, and hepatocellular carcinoma on the metabolic capabilities of mouse liver were investigated. After the acquisition of time-lapse images, a first order kinetic model was used to calculate rate constant resolved images of various pathologies. It was found that the ability of the liver to metabolically process the probe molecules varies among different pathologies, with liver fibrosis and fatty liver disease negatively impacted the uptake, processing, and excretion of molecules. The approach demonstrated in this work allows the study of the response of hepatic functions to different pathologies in real time and is useful for studying processes such as pharmacokinetics through direct optical imaging., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)