Vitamin A imaging in mammalian cells by hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering microscopy

Vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin essential for various biological processes, exists in multiple metabolic forms that are primarily converted in the liver. This complex and organ-specific metabolism depends on subcellular localization for proper conversion and function. Even within a single cell, the distribution of vitamin A is highly heterogeneous. Leveraging sub-micron spatial resolution and chemical selectivity, hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering microscopy (hSRS) has been widely used to visualize metabolites in complex biological samples. Here, we employ (hSRS) imaging in fingerprint regions to visualize vitamin A distribution in mammalian cells.