Imaging fluorophore-labelled intestinal tissue via fluorescence endoscope capsule

The authors have developed a wireless fluorescence imaging capsule endoscope, potentially capable of detecting early signs of disease in the human intestine which can be missed by white-light imaging (WLI) capsule endoscopy (Figure 1). Intestinal fluorescence imaging exploits variations in tissue autofluorescence between healthy and diseased areas in response to illumination, or application of fluorescent labels which preferentially bind to diseased sites. To validate the capsule’s capability to image fluorescently-labelled tissue, a small area of a sample of ex vivo porcine small intestine was sonicated with 6 nm CdZnMg fluorescent quantum dots, and the labelled area clearly differentiated from surrounding tissue by the fluorescence imaging capsule.