Metabolic Imaging in the Study of Oncological Processes (Review)

There have been reviewed the main approaches to the study of energy metabolism in cancer cells, based on fluorescent imaging of NADH and FAD cofactors. The term "metabolic imaging" covers a range of modern fluorescent techniques for detecting NADH and FAD according to fluorescence intensity and/or lifetime. These cofactors play an important role in energy metabolism reactions acting as electron carriers and, being fluorescent, serve as a basis for metabolic process analysis in living cells and tissues without the use of additional coloring agents. Particular attention is paid to metabolic changes associated with carcinogenesis. Numerous examples of metabolic imaging application in cell cultures in vitro, animal and human tumors in vivo, as well as in patients' tumor biopsy samples have demonstrated its being highly demanded for biomedical research in the area of oncology.