Multispectral polarization microscopy of different stages of human oral tissue: A polarization study

• Published in: Journal of biophotonics 2024-02, Vol.17 (2), p.e202300236-n/a
• Main Authors: Mann, Priyanka, Thapa, Pramila, Nayyar, Vivek, Surya, Varun, Mishra, Deepika, Mehta, Dalip Singh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological properties; Biological samples; Biomedical materials; Birefringence; Broadband; Diagnostic Imaging; Humans; Light sources; Medical imaging; Microscopy, Polarization - methods; optical techniques; Optics; Polarization; retardation; Spectrum Analysis; Stokes mapping; Wavelengths
• ISSN: 1864-063X; 1864-0648; 1864-0648
• DOI: 10.1002/jbio.202300236

Many optical techniques have been used in various diagnostics and biomedical applications since a decade and polarization imaging is one of the non‐invasive and label free optical technique to investigate biological samples making it an important tool in diagnostics, biomedical applications. We report a multispectral polarization‐based imaging of oral tissue by utilizing a polarization microscope system with a broadband‐light source. Experiments were performed on oral tissue samples and multispectral Stokes mapping was done by recording a set of intensity images. Polarization‐based parameters like degree of polarization, angle of fast axis, retardation and linear birefringence have been retrieved. The statistical moments of these polarization components have also been reported at multiples wavelengths. The polarimetric properties of oral tissue at different stages of cancer have been analyzed and significant changes from normal to pre‐cancerous lesions to the cancerous are observed in linear birefringence quantification as (1.7 ± 0.1) × 10−3, (2.5 ± 0.2) × 10−3 and (3.3 ± 0.2) × 10−3 respectively. Many optical techniques have been used in various diagnostics and biomedical applications since a decade and Polarization imaging is one of the non‐invasive and label free optical technique to investigate biological samples making it an important tool in diagnostics, biomedical research, and clinical applications. Most of the biological tissues are optically anisotropic although they are weakly but the morphological alterations under abnormal conditions can be served as an important indicator in cancer diagnosis, grading, and prognosis. We report a multispectral polarization‐based polarimetric imaging of oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue by utilizing a conventional polarization microscope system with a broadband light source. Experiments were performed on oral tissue samples and multispectral stokes mapping of the samples under consideration was done by recording a set of intensity images. These intensity images are then digitally segregated into their respective RGB components and various polarization‐based parameters like degree of polarization, angle of fast axis, retardation and birefringence has been retrieved. Apart from this the statistical moments of these polarization components have also been reported at multiples wavelengths. Further the polarimetric properties of oral tissue at different stages of cancer have been analyzed and significant changes fr