To aid ophthalmologists in determining the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy and in evaluating the effects of medication, a microscopic pushbroom hyperspectral imaging system is developed. 40 healthy Wistar rats of half gender are selected in this study. They are divided into three groups (six rats failed to be models). 10 normal rats as the normal control group, 12 diabetic rats without any treatment as the model control group, and another 12 diabetic rats treated with LCVS1001 as the LCVS1001 group. The microscopic hyperspectral image of each retina section is collected and processed. Some typical spectrum curves between 400 and 800 nm of the outer nuclear layer are extracted, and images at various wavelengths are analyzed. The results show that a small trough appears near 522.2 nm in the typical spectrum curve of the model control group, and the transmittance of it is higher than that of the normal control group. In addition, the spectrum of the LCVS1001 group changes gradually to the normal spectrum after treatment with LCVS1001. Our findings indicate that LCVS1001 has some therapeutic effect on the diabetic retinopathy of rats, and the microscopic pushbroom hyperspectral imaging system can be used to study the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.
A microscopic hyperspectral imager was developed based on the microscopic technology and the spectral imaging technology. Some microscopic hyperspectral images of retina sections of the normal, the diabetic, and the treated rats were collected by the new imager. Single-band images and pseudo-color images of each group were obtained and the typical transmittance spectrums were extracted. The results showed that the transmittance of outer nuclear layer cells of the diabetic group was generally higher than that of the normal. A small absorption peak appeared near the 180th band in the spectrum of the diabetic group and this peak weakened or disappeared in the spectrum of the treated group. Our findings indicate that the microscopic hyperspectral images include wealthy information of retina sections which is helpful for the ophthalmologist to reveal the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy and explore the therapeutic effect of drugs.
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