Abstract
Photoacoustic imaging is an advanced biomedical imaging technique that has been widely developed and applied in diverse biomedical studies. By generating optical-absorption-based signals with ultrasound resolution, it enables in vivo visualization of molecular functional information in biological tissues. Extensive research has been conducted to develop the multispectral light sources required for functional photoacoustic imaging. Among the various approaches, multispectral light sources generated using stimulated Raman scattering have shown considerable promise, particularly in photoacoustic microscopy, where achieving multispectral illumination remains challenging. This review summarizes photoacoustic imaging systems that employ stimulated Raman scattering for multispectral light sources and delves into their configurations and applications in the functional analyses of biological tissues. In addition, the review discusses the future directions of multispectral light sources by comparing different technologies based on key factors such as wavelength tunability, repetition rate, and power, which critically affect the accuracy and quality of multispectral photoacoustic imaging.