Optical imaging unveiling metabolic dynamics in cells and organisms during aging and diseases

Abstract Cellular metabolism plays a critical role in various physiological and pathological processes. High resolution imaging of intracellular metabolic activities is crucial for understanding many biological pathways, and for facilitating disease prognosis and treatment assessment. Raman scattering (RS) spectroscopy/microscopy, in particular stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), has emerged as a powerful imaging technology for cellular imaging with high specificity, high sensitivity, and subcellular resolution. Since its invention, SRS microscopy imaging has been extensively applied in life science for studying composition, structure, metabolism, development, and disease in biological systems. This review focuses on the latest applications of SRS imaging, particularly with heavy water probing, for studying metabolic dynamics of biomolecules in organisms during aging and diseases. Furthermore, future applications and development of SRS imaging in both life science and medicine are considered. Graphical Abstract