Magnetic mapping of iron in rodent spleen

Evaluation of iron distribution and density in biological tissues is important to understand the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases and the fate of exogenously administered iron-based carriers and contrast agents. Iron distribution in tissues is typically characterized via histochemical (Perl's) stains or immunohistochemistry for ferritin, the major iron storage protein. A more accurate mapping of iron can be achieved via ultrastructural transmission electron microscopy (TEM) based techniques, which involve stringent sample preparation conditions. In this study, we elucidate the capability of magnetic force microscopy (MFM) as a label-free technique to map iron at the nanoscale level in rodent spleen tissue. We complemented and compared our MFM results with those obtained using Perl's staining and TEM. Our results show how MFM mapping corresponded to sizes of iron-rich lysosomes at a resolution comparable to that of TEM. In addition MFM is compatible with tissue sections commonly prepared for routine histology.