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A Sectioning, Coring, and Image Processing Guide for High-Throughput Cortical Bone Sample Procurement and Analysis for Synchrotron Micro-CT
Published on: June 12, 2020
Visualisation of methacrylate-embedded human bone sections by infrared nanoscopy
Tobias Geith1, Sergiu Amarie, Stefan Milz
1Department of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Großhadern Campus, 81377 München, Germany.
Journal of Biophotonics
|February 20, 2013
Summary
A new infrared nanoscope reveals nanoscale details in human bone, visualizing mineral components and fibrils at 30 nm resolution. This surface-sensitive technique offers new insights into bone structure without complex preparation.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Human bone structure analysis is crucial for understanding skeletal diseases.
- Conventional microscopy techniques have limitations in resolving nanoscale details of bone mineral components.
- Investigating un-decalcified bone preserves native structural and compositional information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply ultra-resolving near-field infrared nanoscopy to investigate human bone sections.
- To evaluate the nanoscope's capability in visualizing mineral components and ultrastructural features at high resolution.
- To compare infrared nanoscopy with optical and electron microscopy for bone analysis.
Main Methods:
- Human bone sections embedded in methyl methacrylate were analyzed using near-field infrared nanoscopy.
- Specific infrared wavelengths (e.g., 9.47 μm) were used to target phosphate vibrational bands for mineral component contrast.
- The surface-sensitive nature of the technique was utilized, probing to a depth of approximately 30 nm.
Main Results:
- Infrared nanoscopy achieved a resolution of 30 nm, revealing nanoscale details in human bone.
- Mineral components, lamellar bone organization, peri-cellular mineral deposition, and regional mineral content differences were clearly visualized.
- Individual fibrils within the bone matrix were resolved.
- Images were directly compared with optical and electron micrographs of identical specimens.
Conclusions:
- Near-field infrared nanoscopy provides high-resolution imaging of un-decalcified human bone, resolving nanoscale features.
- The technique allows specific contrasting of mineral components and offers surface-sensitive analysis.
- Standard hard tissue preparation and surface polishing are compatible with this method, allowing integration into existing laboratory workflows.
