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Ultrastructural alterations in heated canine myocardium
S Bosman1, J W Pickering, J van Marle
1Laser Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Lasers in Surgery and Medicine
|January 1, 1995
Summary
Heating myocardium causes cellular structures to break down into smaller particles, reducing light scattering. This study investigates the relationship between temperature, particle formation, and light scattering properties in heart tissue.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Optical Physics
Background:
- Light scattering anisotropy factor (g) in myocardium decreases with heating.
- Mie theory suggests this is due to increased formation of sub-wavelength particles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that heating myocardium generates smaller particles.
- To correlate temperature-induced structural changes with light scattering properties.
Main Methods:
- Fresh myocardium was heated between 37°C and 75°C.
- Transmission electron microscopy, planimetry, and particle counting were used to analyze granule formation.
- Light scattering anisotropy factor (g) was measured at 632.8 nm.
Main Results:
- Mitochondria and myofibrils began disintegrating around 45-50°C.
- This disintegration produced increasing numbers of small (50-200 nm) electron-dense granules.
- The anisotropy factor (g) decreased from 0.93 to 0.77 as temperature increased to 75°C.
Conclusions:
- Heating myocardium leads to the formation of smaller cellular granules.
- This particle formation correlates with decreased light scattering anisotropy.
- The scattering coefficient remained unchanged, indicating scattering intensity is preserved.