Intravital Imaging of Blood Cells Under Stress to Assess the Organism Condition

Biological specimens are the most difficult to study as almost exclusively light elements are considered, a little visibility yielded and structures are sparsely distinguishable. In addition cell structures are easily damaged on any stage of microscopic exploration. The optimal solution is to study their phase changes using laser interference microscopy. The method is based on the analysis of refractive index of intracellular medium of cells with subsequent computer analysis and processing of phase images followed by three-dimensional reconstruction of the object. The obtained images are digitally recorded, and any point of view can be introduced for viewing. This work uses laser interference microscopy followed by 3D reconstruction of cell images to study blood cells: neutrophils and erythrocytes by 3D reconstruction of neutrophils have demonstrated changes of their functional activity under technological stress, while 3D reconstruction of erythrocytes revealed a violation of the normal discoidal cell shape. Interpretation of the obtained data indicates a restructuring of the cellular component of nonspecific resistance and deterioration of the oxygen transport function of erythrocytes under technological stress. Visualization of interference patterns of blood cells through 3D image processing allows obtaining n a vital analysis of cells, the technique that is not available for other methods of microscopy, in particular light microscopy, which is traditionally used as a prognostic method of the state of the body. This direction represents the most important condition for further development of works in the field of cell diagnostics. The obtained results prove the applicability of 3D reconstruction of cell images for bioscanning of technological stress.