Combined atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy measurements as a method of erythrocyte investigation

Abstract

A specially developed complex, combining functions of optical and force microscopy, was used for investigation human blood cells, namely erythrocytes. The evaluation of the red blood cells form has a significant practical interest, so far as it determines the functional states of these cells and may change under the influence of many external factors and also in the case of some pathology. We received erythrocytes surface topography recorded by atomic force microscopy in the air conditions comparing two methods of simples' preparation. Also we derived the contrast image of cytoskeleton spatial structure of intact red blood cells and made the quantitative analysis of their elastic properties using the techniques of force spectroscopy. The possibility of the investigations of these biological objects using atomic force microscopy gives wide opportunities for the future research.