SNOM on cell thin sections: observation of Jurkat and MDAMB453 cells

In this study a comparison of scanning near-field optical microscopy with a traditional, well-known microscopic technique like transmission electron microscopy is discussed. To establish a reliable and comparable method for high-resolution scanning near-field optical microscopy imaging of biological samples, the attention is focussed on cell sections. In particular, we present a study of ultrathin sections of Jurkat T-cells and MDAMB453 cells. We show the relationship among the scanning near-field optical microscopy (topographic and optical) images and the kind of embedding medium (resin), the sections thickness and the staining of the sample. For a complementary investigation atomic force microscopy measurements are carried out, as well. The study reveals that scanning near-field optical microscopy technique on opportunely prepared thin sections can be applied successfully for investigation of the interior of the cells. Scanning near-field optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy allow to obtain different, however comparable, and complementary information of the cell sample.