Multispectral label-free in vivo cellular imaging of human retinal pigment epithelium using adaptive optics fluorescence lifetime ophthalmoscopy improves feasibility for low emission analysis and increases sensitivity for detecting changes with age and eccentricity.

Significance: Adaptive optics fluorescence lifetime ophthalmoscopy (AOFLIO) provides a label-free approach to observe functional and molecular changes at cellular scale in vivo. Adding multispectral capabilities improves interpretation of lifetime fluctuations due to individual fluorophores in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Aim: To quantify the cellular-scale changes in autofluorescence with age and eccentricity due to variations in lipofuscin, melanin, and melanolipofuscin in RPE using multispectral AOFLIO. Approach: AOFLIO was performed on six subjects at seven eccentricities. Four imaging channels ( λ ex / λ em ) were used: 473/SSC, 473/LSC, 532/LSC, and 765/NIR. Cells were segmented and the timing signals of each pixel in a cell were combined into a single histogram, which were then used to compute the lifetime and phasor parameters. An ANOVA was performed to investigate eccentricity and spectral effects on each parameter. Results: A repeatability analysis revealed < 11.8 % change in lifetime parameters in repeat visits for 532/LSC. The 765/NIR and 532/LSC had eccentricity and age effects similar to previous reports. The 473/LSC had a change in eccentricity with mean lifetime and a phasor component. Both the 473/LSC and 473/SSC had changes in eccentricity in the short lifetime component and its relative contribution. The 473/SSC had no trend in eccentricity in phasor. The comparison across the four channels showed differences in lifetime and phasor parameters. Conclusions: Multispectral AOFLIO can provide a more comprehensive picture of changes with age and eccentricity. These results indicate that cell segmentation has the potential to allow investigations in low-photon scenarios such as in older or diseased subjects with the co-capture of an NIR channel (such as 765/NIR) with the desired spectral channel. This work represents the first multispectral, cellular-scale fluorescence lifetime comparison in vivo in the human RPE and may be a useful method for tracking diseases.

Molecular Signatures of Senescence in Periodontitis: Clinical Insights.

Most of the elderly population is afflicted by periodontal diseases, creating a health burden worldwide. Cellular senescence is one of the hallmarks of aging and associated with several chronic comorbidities. Senescent cells produce a variety of deleterious secretions, collectively termed the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). This disrupts neighboring cells, leading to further senescence propagation and inciting chronic inflammation, known as "inflammaging." Detrimental repercussions within the tissue microenvironment can trigger senescence at a younger age, accelerate biological aging, and drive the initiation or progression of diseases. Here, we investigated the biological signatures of senescence in healthy and diseased gingival tissues by assessing the levels of key senescence markers (p16, lipofuscin, and ß-galactosidase) and inflammatory mediators (interleukin [IL]-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, matrix metalloproteinase [MMP]-1, MMP-3, and tumor necrosis factor-α). Our results showed significantly increased senescence features including p16, lipofuscin, and ß-galactosidase in both epithelial and connective tissues of periodontitis patients compared with healthy sites in all age groups, indicating that an inflammatory microenvironment can trigger senescence-like alterations in younger diseased gingival tissues as well. Subsequent analyses using double staining with specific cell markers noted the enrichment of ß-galactosidase in fibroblasts and macrophages. Concurrently, inflammatory mediators consistent with SASP were increased in the gingival biopsies obtained from periodontitis lesions. Together, our findings provide the first clinical report revealing susceptibility to elevated senescence and inflammatory milieu consistent with senescence secretome in gingival tissues, thus introducing senescence as one of the drivers of pathological events in the oral mucosa and a novel strategy for targeted interventions.

Pigmented Ependymoma of the Fourth Ventricle-A Curious Entity: Report of a Rare Case With Review of Literature.

A 16-year-old boy presented with a tumor located in fourth ventricle, which showed histological features of an ependymoma replete with perivascular pseudorosettes and true ependymal rosettes. Interestingly, many of the tumor cells exhibited abundant cytoplasm stuffed with a grayish brown pigment. Histochemical stains showed the pigment to be acid fast and periodic acid-Schiff positive and negative for Masson-Fontana melanin stain. Additionally, the pigment displayed brilliant autofluorescence under ultraviolet light of a fluorescent microscope. Ultrastructure examination of the pigment revealed a non-membrane-bound biphasic structure with an electron-dense core and electron-lucent periphery. Only few similar case reports mention such pigmented ependymomas to contain a mixture of neuromelanin and lipofuscin while others mention it to be melanin itself. Our workup suggests the pigment to represent lipofuscin or its derivative. Generally known to be a pigment of wear and tear, the significance of finding it in a tumor with such abundance remains to be understood and explored.

Shedding light on human cerebral lipofuscin: An explorative study on identification and quantification.

Increased oxidative stress has been associated with several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, but also with neurological diseases sharing pathophysiological pathways like epilepsy. Lipofuscin is a nondegradable end-product of oxidative stress; its cerebral presence reflects the cumulative amount of oxidative stress the brain has endured. In this study, we have observed prominent autofluorescent particles in the pial arterial wall and in neocortical parenchyma of young, drug-resistant epilepsy patients (18-28 years old) who underwent resective brain surgery (n = 6), as well as in older control patients (n = 3). With fluorescence spectroscopic imaging, brightfield microscopy, histochemistry and fluorescence lifetime imaging, these autofluorescent particles were identified as the age pigment lipofuscin. An evaluation of these lipofuscin particles using Imaris© software allowed robust quantification, while the 3D properties allowed visualization of the complex configuration. We elaborate on the usefulness of lipofuscin as a marker of cumulative oxidative stress in the brain. Furthermore, we speculate on the observed differences in particle size and density that we found between young patients and older controls, which could imply a role for lipofuscin in the pathophysiology of epilepsy and possibly other neurological diseases.

dotdotdot: an automated approach to quantify multiplex single molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization (smFISH) images in complex tissues.

Multiplex single-molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization (smFISH) is a powerful method for validating RNA sequencing and emerging spatial transcriptomic data, but quantification remains a computational challenge. We present a framework for generating and analyzing smFISH data in complex tissues while overcoming autofluorescence and increasing multiplexing capacity. We developed dotdotdot (https://github.com/LieberInstitute/dotdotdot) as a corresponding software package to quantify RNA transcripts in single nuclei and perform differential expression analysis. We first demonstrate robustness of our platform in single mouse neurons by quantifying differential expression of activity-regulated genes. We then quantify spatial gene expression in human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using spectral imaging and dotdotdot to mask lipofuscin autofluorescence. We lastly apply machine learning to predict cell types and perform downstream cell type-specific expression analysis. In summary, we provide experimental workflows, imaging acquisition and analytic strategies for quantification and biological interpretation of smFISH data in complex tissues.

Age-associated liver alterations in wild populations of Austrolebias minuano, a short-lived Neotropical annual killifish.

Aging processes have become an attractive field for researchers and annual fish have been used as biological models. However, the study on the changes in age-associated markers during the normal aging in wild populations of annual fish remains open. Austrolebias is a genus of Neotropical annual killifishes, distributed mainly in ephemeral pools across grassland floodplains of temperate South America and represent an emerging biological model for aging research, but studies investigating rapid aging and senescence in this genus of annual fish are almost non-existent. This study was undertaken to examine the changes in age-associated liver markers at the different developmental stages in wild populations of Austrolebias minuano. We demonstrate that A. minuano has a number of liver alterations of different severities throughout the life cycle, suggesting that these changes tend to increase with age. Our results revealed that > 70% of the analyzed livers presented alterations. Thus, our study should instigate new approaches on aging using Neotropical annual fish, and could be useful to improve the knowledge already provided by consecrated biological aging models as e.g. Nothobranchius killifishes.

Evaluation of the effects of three sulfa sweeteners on the lifespan and intestinal fat deposition in C. elegans.

High sugar content in beverage or food can affect the aging process, and thus natural/artificial sweeteners are widely used as substitutes. However, whether sweeteners have such adverse effects as sugar remains to be clarified. Therefore, in the current study, three sulfa sweeteners, namely, saccharin sodium salt hydrate (SAC2), sodium cyclamate (CYC3) and acesulfame potassium (AceK4) were evaluated for their effects on the lifespan, deposition of lipofuscin, exercise activity, food intake, and intestinal fat deposition (IFD5) of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans6). It was shown that SAC at 0.3 and 10 mg/mL shortened the lifespan of C. elegans and impaired the exercise capacity, while at other concentrations no significant effects were observed. In contrast, CYC at 0.1, 1 and 10 mg/mL prolonged the lifespan of C. elegans. On the other hand, AceK at 1 mg/mL increased the lifespan of C. elegans, and could decrease both lipofuscin deposition and IFD in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these results indicated that although SAC, CYC, and AceK all belong to the sulfa sweeteners, each has distinct effects on different physiological activities associated with aging, at least in C. elegans.

Can Lipofuscin Deposition on Renal Allograft Tubular Epithelium Be a Surrogate Marker for Kidney Allograft Aging?

BACKGROUND: Lipofuscin is an indicator of aging. We examined the clinicopathologic significance of lipofuscin deposition in the renal tubules of renal allografts. METHOD: We analyzed allograft biopsy specimens from living kidney transplantations from January to December 2015. For controls, we analyzed native kidney biopsy specimens obtained from January 2015 to December 2016. We identified granules with a yellow-to-tan shade in renal tubules as lipofuscin. RESULTS: The donor age at transplantation was significantly older in lipofuscin deposition biopsy specimens than in those without, whereas the time after transplantation age was not different between the 2 groups with renal allografts. In native kidney biopsies, age at biopsy was significantly older in lipofuscin deposition biopsy specimens than in those without. We compared "massive lipofuscin deposition," defined as lipofuscin deposition on both sides of 3 or more renal tubules, and donor-age matched control allograft biopsies without lipofuscin deposition. Comparing these 2 groups, recipient age at transplantation was significantly older in the massive lipofuscin deposition group. CONCLUSION: Lipofuscin deposition on tubular epithelium is not a surrogate marker of aging of kidneys allografts, although lipofuscin deposition was significantly greater in older tissues from native kidneys. The older age of recipients may be associated with massive lipofuscin deposition in renal allografts.

Atypical presentation of Best Disease. / Presentación atípica de la enfermedad de Best.

CLINICAL CASE: A 43-year-old man was treated for reduced visual acuity, initially attributed to strabismic amblyopia. On fundus examination, bilateral neurosensory detachments (NSD) were observed in posterior pole, surrounded by deposits of lipofuscin. His 3-year-old son was also examined and circumscribed NSD was observed with the presence of pseudohypopyon in OD and a fibrosis scar in OS. The Arden ratio were decreased in electrooculography (EOG) in both patients, and genetic studies revealed a single mutation of the BEST1 gene. DISCUSSION: The existence of extensive bilateral NSD may be an unusual form of presentation of Best disease. Family history, EOG, and genetic study supported this diagnosis.

Selected Case From the Arkadi M. Rywlin International Pathology Slide Club: Peritoneal Lipofuscinosis and Deciduosis in Pregnancy.

Peritoneal lipofuscinosis is a very rarely recognized condition occurring during pregnancy characterized by brown pigmentation of the omentum and peritoneum, a decidual reaction and benign mesothelial cells. The iron negative pigment, which is likely to be confused with hemosiderin in the hematoxylin and eosin stain, is lipofuscin. The seminar case, apparently the third published, arose in a 37-year-old woman who presented in October 2015 at 24 weeks pregnancy with abdominal pain. Investigations revealed a ruptured left ovarian cyst and rising serum carcinoembryonic antige levels. At laparotomy, there was no free intraperitoneal blood but the omentum and uterine serosa were black. Histology showed lipofuscinosis and a decidual reaction. The patient delivered a normal baby in February 2016 and was clinically well after delivery. A left ovarian endometriotic cyst was removed in February 2017. The patient made a good recovery with no clinically apparent symptoms from the liposuscinosis. We postulate that the endometriotic cyst had ruptured and released blood into the peritoneal cavity in 2015. The iron from the red cells breakdown was then rapidly resorbed because of the pregnancy requirements for iron, leaving lipofuscin in peritoneal macrophages.

Visualizing melanosomes, lipofuscin, and melanolipofuscin in human retinal pigment epithelium using serial block face scanning electron microscopy.

To assess serial section block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) for retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) ultrastructure, we determined the number and distribution within RPE cell bodies of melanosomes (M), lipofuscin (L), and melanolipofuscin (ML). Eyes of 4 Caucasian donors (16M, 32F, 76F, 84M) with unremarkable maculas were sectioned and imaged using an SEM fitted with an in-chamber automated ultramicrotome. Aligned image stacks were generated by alternately imaging an epoxy resin block face using backscattered electrons, then removing a 125 nm-thick layer. Series of 249-499 sections containing 5-24 nuclei were examined per eye. Trained readers manually assigned boundaries of individual cells and x,y,z locations of M, L, and ML. A Density Recovery Profile was computed in three dimensions for M, L, and ML. The number of granules per RPE cell body in 16M, 32F, 76F, and 84M eyes, respectively, was 465 ± 127 (mean ± SD), 305 ± 92, 79 ± 40, and 333 ± 134 for L; 13 ± 9; 6 ± 7, 131 ± 55, and 184 ± 66 for ML; and 29 ± 19, 24 ± 12, 12 ± 7, and 7 ± 3 for M. Granule types were spatially organized, with M near apical processes. The effective radius, a sphere of decreased probability for granule occurrence, was 1 µm for L, ML, and M combined. In conclusion, SBFEM reveals that adult human RPE has hundreds of L, LF, and M and that granule spacing is regulated by granule size alone. When obtained for a larger sample, this information will enable hypothesis testing about organelle turnover and regulation in health, aging, and disease, and elucidate how RPE-specific signals are generated in clinical optical coherence tomography and autofluorescence imaging.

Detecting senescence: a new method for an old pigment.

Cellular senescence is a state of irreversible cell cycle arrest induced by different types of cellular stresses. The field of senescence has made significant advances in the understanding of many of the mechanisms governing this phenomenon; however, a universal biomarker that unambiguously distinguishes senescent from proliferating cells has not been found. In this issue of Aging Cell, Evangelou and colleagues developed a sensitive method for identification of senescent cells in different types of biological material based on the detection of lipofuscin using an analogue of Sudan Black B (SBB) histochemical dye coupled with biotin, which they named GL13. The authors propose that this method is more sensitive and versatile than using SBB alone. Lipofuscin, a nondegradable oxidation product of lipids, proteins and metals, is found in senescent cells. Detection of lipofuscin using GL13 staining may be a more feasible method than others currently used for identification of senescent cells both in cell culture and tissues.

[Blue death of nematodes.]

This paper shows that the aging and death of nematodes, accompanied by the ignition of a blue glow under fluorescent microscopy, are not directly linked to any lipofuscin (aging pigment), nor with the anthranilic acid (a product of degradation of tryptophan residues of proteins). The main contribution in the blue flash of the dying nematodes belongs to parasitic light, scattered on the cuticle and bodies of the worm. The main contribution in the blue region at spectrofluorometry of homogenates, obtained from nematodes, really gives anthranilic acid. However, the content of anthranilic acid, measured by spectrofluorimetry, in adult nematodes is lower than that in the young ones. Artificial aging of nematodes by moderate heating revealed no accumulation of anthranilate and no loss of tryptophan, from which it must be formed. Thus, it is hardly lipofuscin or anthranilic acid. The cause of aging and death of nematodes is the formation of strong cross-links between proteins. This is supported by data on tryptophan fluorescence and light scattering of homogenates: the old worms show a large number of denaturated proteins and large protein particles with a strong cross-links, which are not destroyed be detergent.

The high correlation between counts and area fractions of lipofuscin granules, a biomarker of oxidative stress in muscular dystrophies.

Images of cryostat unstained sections of two skeletal muscles, diaphragm and extensor digitorum longus (EDL), from wild-type normal and dystrophic mdx mice were captured with a fluorescence microscope, binarised and analysed by an automated procedure using ImageJ free software. The numbers, Feret diameters and areas of autofluorescent lipofuscin (LF)-like granules in the sections were determined from the binary images. The mean numbers of counted LF granules per mm3 muscle tissue correlated highly (r ≥ 0.9) with the area fractions of the granules in sections of both normal and mdx muscles. The similar distribution patterns of granule sizes in sections of diaphragm and EDL muscles are consistent with the high correlations.

A novel fluorescence-based assay for measuring A2E removal from human retinal pigment epithelial cells to screen for age-related macular degeneration inhibitors.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common retinal disease that leads to irreversible central vision loss in the elderly population. Recent studies have identified many factors related to the development of dry AMD, such as aging, cigarette smoking, genetic predispositions, and oxidative stress, eventually inducing the accumulation of lipofuscin, which is one of the most critical risk factors. One of the major lipofuscins in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells is N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (also known as A2E), a pyridinium bis-retinoid. Currently there is a lack of effective therapy to prevent or restore vision loss caused by dry AMD. Recent studies have shown that 430 nm blue light induces the oxidation of A2E and the activation of caspase-3 to subsequently cause the death of RPE cells, suggesting that removal of A2E from retinal pigment cells might be critical for preventing AMD. Here, we developed a fluorescence-labeled A2E analog (A2E-BDP) that functions similar to A2E in RPE cells, but is more sensitive to detection than A2E. A2E-BDP-based tracing of intracellular A2E will be helpful, not only for studying the accumulation and removal of A2E in human RPE cells but also for identifying possible inhibitors of AMD.

Lipofuscin Granules in the Epileptic Human Temporal Neocortex with Age.

Lipofuscin granules (LGs), the "age pigments", are autofluorescent cell products from lysosomes that diverge in number and size among brain regions. Human temporal cortex from 20- to 55-year-old epileptic subjects were studied with the fat soluble dye Sudan Black, under confocal and electron microscopy. Ultrastructural analysis showed that with age LGs increase in area, but not in number. Proportionally to the LGs area, the electron lucid portion increases and the electron dense reduces over time. The robust increase in lipid components is possibly due to modifications in the neuronal metabolism with age in physiological and pathological conditions.

Jejunitis and brown bowel syndrome with multifocal carcinogenesis of the small bowel.

This is the first report describing a case where prolonged, severe malabsorption from brown bowel syndrome progressed to multifocally spread small bowel adenocarcinoma. This case involves a female patient who was initially diagnosed with chronic jejunitis associated with primary diffuse lymphangiectasia at the age of 26 years. The course of the disease was clinically, endoscopically, and histologically followed for 21 years until her death at the age 47 due to multifocal, metastasizing adenocarcinoma of the small bowel. Multiple lipofuscin deposits (so-called brown bowel syndrome) and severe jejunitis were observed microscopically, and sections of the small bowel showed dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the lamina propria as well as blocked lymphatic vessels. After several decades, multifocal nests of adenocarcinoma cells and extensive, flat, neoplastic mucosal proliferations were found only in the small bowel, along with a loss of the mismatch repair protein MLH1 as a long-term consequence of chronic jejunitis with malabsorption. No evidence was found for hereditary nonpolyposis colon carcinoma syndrome. This article demonstrates for the first time multifocal carcinogenesis in the small bowel in a malabsorption syndrome in an enteritis-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence.

Fundus Autofluorescence Captured With a Nonmydriatic Retinal Camera in Vegetarians Versus Nonvegetarians.

BACKGROUND: A baseline level of lipofuscin in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is inevitable with age, but increased levels due to increased oxidative stress can result in deleterious vision loss at older ages. As earlier detection of differences in levels can lead to superior preventative management, we studied the relationship between lipofuscin accumulation and dietary lifestyle (vegetarian vs. nonvegetarian) in the younger, healthy South Asian population using retinal fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging. METHODS: In this pilot study, we examined 37 healthy subjects (average age 23 years ± 1) all undergoing similar stress levels as medical students at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Levels of lipofuscin concentrations were imaged using a FAF retinal camera (Canon CX-1). Two images (color and FAF) were captured of the left eye and included in the analysis. FAF quantitative scoring was measured in 2 regions of the captured image, the papillo-macular region (P) and the macula (M), by determining the grayscale score of a 35.5 mm(2) rectangle in the respective regions. Standardized scores (corrected to remove baseline fluorescence) were then obtained. Means, standard deviations, and t tests were performed for comparisons. RESULTS: Fundus autofluorescence scores of regions P and M were significantly different (P < .05) between groups. Region P was further standardized and results remained significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results show that in this cohort, vegetarians had statistically significant lower levels of autofluorescence. These findings can have potential implications regarding long-term retinal health and risk for developing certain diseases over decades in subjects at risk for vision-threatening diseases.