Endomicroscopy (pCLE)

• The Cellvizio DualBand is equipped with a dual laser (excitation at 480 and 660 nm) and sensors to visualise and quantify fluorescence in the visible (500-630 nm) and near infrared (680-800 nm) range.
• The spatial resolution (1 to 3 µm) of the images allows in vivo microscopic resolution images to be obtained.
• The very small diameter of the endoscope's optical fibre (among a panel of fibres with a diameter of 0.3 to 1.5 mm depending on the optical resolution chosen) allows access to biological compartments inaccessible by conventional endoscopy.
• The Cellvizio can be coupled with MRI to perform multimodal imaging combining anatomy and functional imaging (MRI) with dynamic cellular imaging (Cellvizio).

Example of PIXANIM's expertise by Cellvizio / pCLE imagery

Sperm imaging.

The microscopic resolution (1-3 µm depending on the probe used) and the acquisition frequency (12 images per second) of Cellvizio make it possible to visualise moving cells and to quantify their displacement (speed, type of trajectory). Thanks to a lipid marking of the sperm membrane (Octadecyl Rhodamine B), we are able to visualise and quantify the mobility of mammalian spermatozoa in vivo by pCLE (Druart et al., 2009, Reproduction).

During fertilisation in mammals, the spermatozoa pass from the site of deposition, the vagina, through the uterus to the fertilisation site, the oviduct.
PIXANIM has designed and developed a unique method for monitoring spermatozoa in the uterus in vivo by pCLE (Cellvizio) imaging in several species (sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, dogs). This method has led to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the transit of spermatozoa through the female genital tract.

Publications  :

Druart, X., Cognié, J., Baril, G., Clément, F., Dacheux, J.-L., Gatti, J.-L. (2009). In vivo imaging of in situ motility of fresh and liquid stored ram spermatozoa in the ewe genital tract. Reproduction, 138 (1), 45-53. DOI: 10.1530/REP-09-0108.

Rickard, J., Pini, T., Soleilhavoup, C., Cognié, J., Bathgate, R., Lynch, G., Evans, G., Maxwell, W., Druart, X., de Graaf, S. (2014). Seminal plasma aids the survival and cervical transit of epididymal ram spermatozoa. Reproduction, 148 (5), 469-478. DOI: 10.1530/REP-14-0285