title: A method for observing intracellular structures of free cells by scanning electron microscopy.
abstract: A new method is described for scanning electron microscopic observation of cultured free cells using chitosan embedding. Intracellular structures of free cells can be clearly observed using a combination of the chitosan embedding and the Osmium-DMSO-Osmium (O-D-O) method. Chitosan, a polysaccharide, is not affected by the osmium maceration procedure central to the O-D-O method, which destroys other possible embedding media such as gelatin, agar, egg albumin and fibrin. Chitosan cracks to yield a fracture face which is featureless at low magnifications, and causes no recognizable artefacts.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002286:Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D048271:Chitosan; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007668:Kidney; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009940:Organoids / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D002686:Chitin; D048271:Chitosan