Fluorescence Detection System for Diagnosing Atherosclerotic Plaque

Coronary atherosclerosis remains a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, where plaque rupture can trigger severe clinical complications. While intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) provides excellent structural imaging, it lacks molecular specificity for identifying high-risk vulnerable plaques. To address this limitation, we developed a fluorescence detection system capable of identifying plaque autofluorescence, particularly from necrotic cores in vulnerable plaques. System validation using Cy5.5-NHS ester demonstrated excellent sensitivity (detection limit: 5.09×10<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">−9</sup> mol/L) and linear concentration dependence consistent with Lambert-Beer law. Detection results revealed strong fluorescence signals in atherosclerotic model dogs correlating with histologically-confirmed plaque locations, while healthy vessels showed minimal signal. The human carotid artery specimen detection confirms the system's potential to differentiate plaque types. This fluorescence detection method has great potential to be combined with IVOCT to improve the efficiency of vulnerable plaque detection and clinical risk stratification.