Testbed mimicking intracellular environment for optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) represents an innovative method that utilizes optics for transmission and acoustic for sensing. Within the realm of PAI modalities, optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) stands out for its ability to achieve high-resolution cellular and intracellular imaging. However, an optical testbed setup emulating the intracellular environment and accelerating the development of cellular-level OR-PAM systems has not been established. In this study, we present a testbed setup designed to mimic intracellular conditions. Assessment of this testbed setup efficacy involved embedding photoacoustic contrasts and imaging them using an OR-PAM system. The imaging results show that our testbed setup can provide instrumental in accurately measuring photoacoustic signals within an intracellular aqueous environment, avoiding risks of the contamination and degradation of the acoustic transducer.