Quantitative Phase Imaging Detecting the Hypoxia-Induced Patterns in Healthy and Neoplastic Human Colonic Epithelial Cells

Igor Buzalewicz; Monika Mrozowska; Alicja Kmiecik; Michał Kulus; Katarzyna Haczkiewicz-Leśniak; Piotr Dzięgiel; Marzenna Podhorska-Okołów; Łukasz Zadka

doi:10.3390/cells11223599

Quantitative Phase Imaging Detecting the Hypoxia-Induced Patterns in Healthy and Neoplastic Human Colonic Epithelial Cells

Cells. 2022 Nov 14;11(22):3599. doi: 10.3390/cells11223599.

Authors

Igor Buzalewicz¹, Monika Mrozowska², Alicja Kmiecik², Michał Kulus³, Katarzyna Haczkiewicz-Leśniak³, Piotr Dzięgiel², Marzenna Podhorska-Okołów³, Łukasz Zadka³

Affiliations

¹ Bio-Optics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.
² Division of Histology and Embryology, Department of Human Morphology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland.
³ Division of Ultrastructural Research, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland.

Abstract

Hypoxia is a frequent phenomenon during carcinogenesis and may lead to functional and structural changes in proliferating cancer cells. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common neoplasms in which hypoxia is associated with progression. The aim of this study was to assess the optical parameters and microanatomy of CRC and the normal intestinal epithelium cells using the digital holotomography (DHT) method. The examination was conducted on cancer (HT-29, LoVo) and normal colonic cells (CCD-18Co) cultured in normoxic and hypoxic environments. The assessment included optical parameters such as the refractive index (RI) and dry mass as well as the morphological features. Hypoxia decreased the RI in all cells as well as in their cytoplasm, nucleus, and nucleoli. The opposite tendency was noted for spheroid-vesicular structures, where the RI was higher for the hypoxic state. The total volume of hypoxic CCD-18Co and LoVo cells was decreased, while an increase in this parameter was observed for HT-29 cells. Hypoxia increased the radius and cell volume, including the dry mass of the vesicular content. The changes in the optics and morphology of hypoxic cells may suggest the possibility of using DHT in the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs).

Keywords: CRC; DHT; colorectal cancer; digital holotomography; hypoxia; phenotyping.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Colon*
Cytoplasm
Diagnostic Imaging
HT29 Cells
Humans
Hypoxia*

Grants and funding

This research was funded by statutory funds of Wroclaw Medical University (subvention grant number SUB.A380.21.071, M.P.O) and statutory funds of Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (subvention grant number 8211104160).