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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Phys.

Sec. Medical Physics and Imaging

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphy.2025.1479573

This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances of Synchrotron Radiation-Based X-Ray Imaging in Biomedical ResearchView all 7 articles

Optimising sample preparation to enhance Contrast-to-Noise ratio in X-ray Phase contrast Tomography White Matter (WM) Imaging of the Central Nervous System

Provisionally accepted
Michela FratiniMichela Fratini1,2*Lorenzo MassimiLorenzo Massimi1*Francesco BrunFrancesco Brun3Darren BateyDarren Batey4Inna BukreevaInna Bukreeva1Alberto MittoneAlberto Mittone5Alberto BravinAlberto Bravin6Elena LongoElena Longo7Giuliana TrombaGiuliana Tromba7Federico GioveFederico Giove8,9Silvia CipicciaSilvia Cipiccia10Alejandra SierraAlejandra Sierra11
  • 1Institute of Nanotecnology, National Research Council (CNR), Roma, Italy
  • 2NaN Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
  • 3Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
  • 4Diamond Light Source (United Kingdom), Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
  • 5Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, United States
  • 6University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Lombardy, Italy
  • 7Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
  • 8Centro Fermi - Museo storico della fisica e Centro studi e ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Lazio, Italy
  • 9Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS), Rome, Lazio, Italy
  • 10University College London, London, England, United Kingdom
  • 11University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Northern Savonia, Finland

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The choice of fixative is critical in X-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT) because it affects tissue preservation, contrast enhancement and compatibility with other imaging techniques.A careful selection and optimization of fixatives can lead to significant improvements in the quality and accuracy of imaging results, which is especially important when studying complex biological systems such as those involved in neurodegeneration, where it is crucial to maintain the fine details of the Grey Matter (GM) and White Matter (WM) structures. Dehydration with ethanol and xylene is commonly used as it effectively removes water while minimising structural alterations Dehydration with ethanol and xylene is commonly used as it effectively removes water while minimising structural alterations. Using perfusion in ethanol and dehydration in xylene as a secondary fixative can increase the contrast, thereby improving the visibility of myelinated fibers without using a contrast agent. In this paper we discuss an optimised fixation method to significantly enhance the contrast and boost the signal to noise ratio (SNR) in XPCT images of WM in the central nervous system (CNS).

Keywords: White matter (WM), Central Nervous System, Xylene, X ray Phase contrast tomography, Advanced imaging techniques

Received: 12 Aug 2024; Accepted: 14 Feb 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Fratini, Massimi, Brun, Batey, Bukreeva, Mittone, Bravin, Longo, Tromba, Giove, Cipiccia and Sierra. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Michela Fratini, Institute of Nanotecnology, National Research Council (CNR), Roma, Italy
Lorenzo Massimi, Institute of Nanotecnology, National Research Council (CNR), Roma, Italy

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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