Imaging and analyzing the elasticity of vascular smooth muscle cells by atomic force acoustic microscope.
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play an important role in the good performance of the vasculature. To study the surface, intracellular structure and elasticity of VSMCs, atomic force acoustic microscope (AFAM) was used for imaging VSMCs from A7r5 rat aorta arteries. The topography images of VSMCs were obtained in contact mode and the acoustic images were obtained by AFAM in sample vibration mode. Then, the force curve measurement derived using Young's modulus of the interested areas was used for evaluating elasticity properties. The acoustic images were found in higher resolution with more information than the topography images. The force curves showed the difference in Young's modulus of the different parts of VSMC. These findings demonstrate that AFAM is useful for displaying the surface, structure and elasticity property of VSMCs clearly, with short scanning time, negligible harm or damage to cell and nanometer-level resolution.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Bo
B
Zhang
Qian
Q
Cheng
Ming
M
Chen
Wengang
W
Yao
Menglu
M
Qian
Bing
B
Hu
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D055119:Elastic Modulus / Q000502:physiology; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats