3D analysis of the micro- and nanostructure of lung tissue by scanning probe nanotomography

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the 3D micro- and nanostructure and quantitative morphological parameters of rat lung tissue. Materials and methods. Wistar rat lung tissue samples were obtained for the study. The 3D structure of the lung tissue was studied via scanning probe nanotomography using an experimental setup combining an ultramicrotome and a scanning probe microscope. Results. Nanoscale images and 3D nanotomographic reconstructions of the interalveolar septal sections of the rat lung were obtained. Morphological parameters (average roughness and specific effective area) of the interalveolar septal surface were determined. It was found that the average roughness of the reconstructed septal surface was 345.4 ± 24.5 nm, and the specific effective area was 2.7 ± 0.2 units. Conclusions. Results obtained demonstrate that scanning probe nanotomography allows to quantify lung morphology. The use of scanning probe nanotomography for 3D analysis of the structure and characteristics of lung tissue will increase the efficiency of future developments on creation of new criteria for diagnosing pathological conditions.

Keywords

• lung
• alveolus
• interalveolar septum
• scanning probe microscopy
• nanotomography