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Confocal laser endomicroscopy and narrow-band imaging-aided endoscopy for in vivo imaging of colitis and colon cancer in mice

Nature Protocols volume 6, pages 1471–1481 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

New endoscopic techniques such as narrow-band imaging (NBI) and confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) have improved the in vivo diagnosis of human gastrointestinal diseases in the colon. Whereas NBI may facilitate the identification of neoplastic lesions, CLE permits real-time histology of the inflamed or neoplastic colonic mucosa through the use of fluorescent dyes. These techniques have been recently adopted for use during ongoing endoscopy in mice. This protocol, which can be completed in 2 h, provides a detailed description of NBI and CLE in the mouse colon. In contrast to other techniques, this approach does not require laparotomy, and it allows direct CLE analysis of lesions identified by NBI. Mice exposed to models of colitis or colorectal cancer are anesthetized and examined with a miniaturized NBI endoscope, which provides an increased contrast of the vasculature. Upon identification of suspicious areas by NBI and the administration of fluorescent dyes, a confocal laser probe can be directed to the area of interest through the endoscope and confocal images can be obtained. Through the use of various fluorescent dyes, different aspects of the mucosa can be assessed. In addition, fluorescence-labeled antibodies can be used for molecular imaging of mice in vivo. Mouse NBI endoscopy and CLE represent reliable and fast high-quality techniques for the endoscopic characterization and molecular imaging of the mucosa in colitis and colon cancer.

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Figure 1: Narrow-band imaging (NBI) endoscopy and system setup.
Figure 2: NBI endoscopy in mouse models of inflammation and tumor development.
Figure 3: Confocal endomicroscopy in living mice.
Figure 4: CLE for the evaluation of altered vessel morphology during angiogenesis.

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Acknowledgements

M.F.N. and M.J.W. were supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) within the Graduiertenkolleg 1043; M.F.N., S.W. and C.B. were supported by the DFG within the FOR527. M.F.N. received funding from the European Community's seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 202230, acronym GENINCA. M.F.N. was supported by the United European Gastroenterology Foundation Research Prize.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine I, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany

    Maximilian J Waldner, Stefan Wirtz, Clemens Neufert, Christoph Becker & Markus F Neurath

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Contributions

M.J.W., S.W., C.N. and C.B. conducted experiments. M.J.W. and M.F.N. analyzed the data and wrote the paper. All authors discussed the results and implications and commented on the manuscript at all stages.

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Correspondence to Markus F Neurath.

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M.F.N. provides expert scientific advice to Pentax. The other authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Waldner, M., Wirtz, S., Neufert, C. et al. Confocal laser endomicroscopy and narrow-band imaging-aided endoscopy for in vivo imaging of colitis and colon cancer in mice. Nat Protoc 6, 1471–1481 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2011.377

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