Super-resolution fluorescence imaging of extracellular environments

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important biophysical environment that plays a role in a number of physiological processes. The ECM is highly dynamic, with changes occurring as local, nanoscale, physicochemical variations in physical confinement and chemistry from the perspective of biological molecules. The length and time scale of ECM dynamics are challenging to measure with current spectroscopic techniques. Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy has the potential to probe local, nanoscale, physicochemical variations in the ECM. Here, we review super-resolution imaging and analysis methods and their application to study model nanoparticles and biomolecules within synthetic ECM hydrogels and the brain extracellular space (ECS). We provide a perspective of future directions for the field that can move super-resolution imaging of the ECM towards more biomedically-relevant samples. Overall, super-resolution imaging is a powerful tool that can increase our understanding of extracellular environments at new spatiotemporal scales to reveal ECM processes at the molecular-level. ? 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a crucial biophysical environment involved in physiological processes. Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy offers the potential to investigate local, nanoscale, physicochemical variations in the ECM, providing insights into molecular-level ECM processes and guiding future biomedical research directions.