Holotomography-based, label-free quantification of cellular dry mass as a biophysical indicator of microglial Aβ phagocytosis during senescence.

Abstract

Senescent microglia undergo significant molecular and biochemical changes associated with impaired phagocytosis of amyloid-β (Aβ), a process implicated in neurodegenerative disease progression. However, quantitative biophysical metrics capable of capturing this functional impairment-and thus elucidating the role of microglial dysfunction in disease progression-remain limited. In this study, we identify cellular dry mass, measured by label-free holotomography, in combination with cell and nuclear morphological features, as sensitive biophysical indicators of microglial senescence and phagocytic capacity. Microglial senescence was induced using optimized hydrogen peroxide (H