Abstract
Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 play important roles in the progression of atherosclerosis. This study aims to determine whether MMP-2 and -9 content in the fibrotic caps of atherosclerotic plaque is correlated with plaque autofluorescence. A time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) system was used to measure the autofluorescence and assess the biochemical composition of human plaques obtained from carotid endarterectomy. Results presented here demonstrate for the first time the ability to characterize the biochemical composition as it relates to MMP-2 and -9 content in the atherosclerotic plaque cap using a label-free imaging technique implemented with a fiberoptic TR-LIFS system.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 650-658 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Biophotonics |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2011 |
Keywords
- Atherosclerosis
- Carotid plaque
- Matrix metalloproteinases
- Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Materials Science(all)
- Engineering(all)
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Chemistry(all)
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)