Spectral photoacoustic imaging of age-related reproductive tract collagen changes in a mouse model of prolapse

Monitoring collagen may help physicians assess female reproductive health, since altered collagen with age is an established risk factor for female reproductive disorders including pelvic organ prolapse. Currently, quantifying collagen in soft tissues requires a biopsy, exposing patients to unnecessary risk with unavoidable site bias. We are developing ultrasound-guided spectral photoacoustic imaging methods to estimate reproductive tract collagen in a Fibulin-5 knock out mouse model of prolapse. For mice younger than one year old, collagen concentration in the external cervical os correlated strongly with age in normal mice (R2 = 0.701, p = 9.54e-3) but not in prolapsed mice (R2 = 0.340, p = 1.29e-1). Mice aged 4–8 months suffering from prolapse had significantly less collagen in the external cervical os (p = 2.99e-2). Spectral photoacoustic imaging is a potential non-invasive clinical tool for monitoring changes in reproductive tract collagen.