image of tissue from a
mouse intestine, showing how autofluoresce can obscure several fluorescence signals. Autofluorescence can be problematic in
fluorescence microscopy. Light-emitting
stains (such as fluorescently labelled
antibodies) are applied to
samples to enable visualisation of specific structures. Autofluorescence interferes with detection of specific fluorescent signals, especially when the signals of interest are very dim — it causes structures other than those of interest to become visible. In some microscopes (mainly
confocal microscopes), it is possible to make use of different lifetime of the
excited states of the added fluorescent markers and the endogenous molecules to exclude most of the autofluorescence. In a few cases, autofluorescence may actually illuminate the structures of interest, or serve as a useful
diagnostic indicator. The autofluorescence of human
skin can be used to measure the level of
advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which are present in higher quantities during several human
diseases. skin under different light conditions.
Optical imaging systems that utilize
multispectral imaging can reduce signal degradation caused by autofluorescence while adding enhanced
multiplexing capabilities. The
super resolution microscopy SPDM revealed autofluorescent cellular objects which are not detectable under conventional fluorescence imaging conditions. ==List of dominant autofluorophores==