Label-free differentiation of functional zones in mature mouse placenta using micro-Raman imaging

Abstract

In histopathology, it is highly crucial to have chemical and structural information about tissues. Additionally, the segmentation of zones within a tissue plays an important role in investigating the functions of these regions for better diagnosis and treatment. The placenta plays an important role in embryonic and fetal development and in the diagnosis of some diseases associated with its dysfunction. This study provides a label-free approach to obtain the images of mature mouse placenta together with the chemical differences between the tissue compartments using Raman spectroscopy. To generate the Raman images, spectra of placental tissue were collected using a custom-built optical setup. The pre-processed spectra were analyzed using statistical and machine learning methods to acquire the Raman maps. We found that the placental regions called decidua and the labyrinth zone are biochemically distinct from the junctional zone. Comparison and evaluation of the Raman maps with histological images of the placental tissue were performed by a histologist and they are found to be in agreement. The results of this study show that Raman spectroscopy offers the possibility of label-free monitoring of the placental tissue from mature mice while revealing important structural information about the zones at the same time.