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AFM characterization of chemically treated corneal cells

Abstract

We present a characterization of chemically treated cells using atomic force microscopy (AFM) which can observe changes in morphology and elasticity of cells. Since AFM has the significant advantage that it does not require fixation of samples, the method is simple and can capture various properties of living cells. In this study, corneal epithelial and endothelial cells were examined. The topography images of the corneal cells without glutaraldehyde (GA) fixation were successfully obtained. The images showed a natural three-dimensional shape of these cells, which scanning electron microscope (SEM) images could not provide. The AFM images of GA-fixed cells were taken and compared with a SEM image reported in the literature. Our results show that longer time for GA fixation makes the surface of the corneal endothelial tissue stiffer. Also, longer treatment results in relatively large structural variation in samples. Combined with conventional histochemical methods, this approach helps us gain an overall understanding of the influence of such chemical treatment.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals Mfg. Co., Ltd. for financial support through Dainichiseika-Donated Chair of Research Division for Innovative Biomaterials in Tokyo Institute of Technology. This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grant Number 23592611.

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Correspondence to Norihiko Itoh.

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Shibata-Seki, T., Tajima, K., Takahashi, H. et al. AFM characterization of chemically treated corneal cells. Anal Bioanal Chem 407, 2631–2635 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-8473-0

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Keywords

  • Atomic force microscopy
  • Corneal epithelial and endothelial cells
  • Mechanical property
  • Young's modulus
  • Glutaraldehyde