共軛焦雷射掃瞄顯微鏡於生物醫學研究之原理與應用(I)

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy: 1. An Overview of Principle and Practice in Biomedical Research

共軛焦顯微鏡是利用一般點光源或雷射，在光學基礎上採用光源焦平面與觀察者焦平面共軛成相的原理，並利用電腦對所掃描分析的對象進行數位圖像處理的觀察和分析系統。與傳統光學顯微鏡相較，共軛焦顯微鏡具有許多優點，如較高的水平解析度、能提供組織深部清晰的二維影像、可依時序擷取細胞內部動態變化、並利用電腦分析可重建三維影像。配合多種螢光染色的技術，使得共軛焦顯微鏡在生物細胞及藥學界被廣泛使用。臨床上共軛焦顯微鏡亦可應用在對皮膚、角膜、水晶體、視網膜等的觀察。與內視鏡配合使用也獲得初步成功的結果。未來共軛焦顯微鏡的發展可能朝向應用在活組織上觀察細胞的變化，於生物醫學之研究，包括麻醉醫學藥物作用於各類細胞之研究，提供一探討的嶄新途徑。

Evolving from conventional microscopic technologies, confocal microscopy has proved itself to play an important role in the biomedical research during the past decade. Confocal microscope has many advantages over traditional microscope including the ability to look deeply into inside cells with less photodamage and photobleach, reconstruct three-dimensional images, and chart intracellular dynamic events in the living cells. With these remarkable properties and the availability of fluorescent dyes for living cells, the confocal microscopy has been widely used in solving many unknown questions in biological and pharmacological fields. In clinics, confocal microscope has also served as an important tool to observe the living cells in skins and eyes. For anesthesiologists, confocal microscope has made possible novel experimental approaches for the effects of multiple anesthetic agents on cells. Furthermore, the technology of fibreoptical confocal endomicroscopy is now on its way of maturation. It will soon be the era for confocal microscopy to explore the 'cell behavior' inside of intact living tissues.