Simultaneous 3D Construction and Imaging of Plant Cells Using Plasmonic Nanoprobe Assisted Multimodal Nonlinear Optical Microscopy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid, in-vivo 3D imaging technique for plant cells using plasmonic nanoprobe-assisted multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy, enabling simultaneous labeling and imaging without traditional in-vitro nanoprobe fabrication.

Contribution

The study demonstrates a novel in-vivo, one-step 3D imaging method for plant cells using plasmonic nanoprobes and multimodal NLO microscopy, eliminating the need for pre-fabricated nanoprobes.

Findings

Complete cell structures imaged via SHG and TPL with noble metal ions.

Noble metal nanoprobes form along cell walls under femtosecond laser scan.

In-vivo labeling is rapid, cost-effective, and avoids traditional fabrication steps.

Abstract

Nonlinear optical (NLO) imaging has emerged as a promising plant cell imaging technique due to its large optical penetration, inherent 3D spatial resolution, and reduced photodamage, meanwhile exogenous nanoprobes are usually needed for non-signal target cell analysis. Here, we report in-vivo, simultaneous 3D labeling and imaging of potato cell structures using plasmonic nanoprobe-assisted multimodal NLO microscopy. Experimental results show that the complete cell structure could be imaged by the combination of second-harmonic generation (SHG) and two-photon luminescence (TPL) when noble metal silver or gold ions are added. In contrast, without noble metal ion solution, no NLO signals from the cell wall could be acquired. The mechanism can be attributed to noble metal nanoprobes with strong nonlinear optical responses formed along the cell walls via a femtosecond laser scan. During the SHG-TPL imaging process, noble metal ions that cross the cell wall could be rapidly reduced to plasmonic nanoparticles by fs laser and selectively anchored onto both sides of the cell wall, thereby leading to simultaneous 3D labeling and imaging of potato cells. Compared with traditional labeling technique that needs in-vitro nanoprobe fabrication and cell labeling, our approach allows for one-step, in-vivo labeling of plant cells, thus providing a rapid, cost-effective way for cellular structure construction and imaging.