title: Development of an ultrasound microscope combined with optical microscope for multiparametric characterization of a single cell.
abstract: Biomechanics of the cell has been gathering much attention because it affects the pathological status in atherosclerosis and cancer. In the present study, an ultrasound microscope system combined with optical microscope for characterization of a single cell with multiple ultrasound parameters was developed. The central frequency of the transducer was 375 MHz and the scan area was 80 × 80 μm with up to 200 × 200 sampling points. An inverted optical microscope was incorporated in the design of the system, allowing for simultaneous optical observations of cultured cells. Two-dimensional mapping of multiple ultrasound parameters, such as sound speed, attenuation, and acoustic impedance, as well as the thickness, density, and bulk modulus of specimen/cell under investigation, etc., was realized by the system. Sound speed and thickness of a 3T3-L1 fibroblast cell were successfully obtained by the system. The ultrasound microscope system combined with optical microscope further enhances our understanding of cellular biomechanics.
authors.forename: Mototaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arakawa
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shikama
authors.forename: Koki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saijo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D051379:Mice; D033401:Microscopy, Acoustic / Q000379:methods*; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D051381:Rats; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000379:methods*