Imaging Conditions Optimization of Human Bronchial Epithelial Cell Based on Atomic Force Microscope

Background: Surface microstructure of cancerous cell is particularly vital since cell constantly changes its shape as interacting with extracellular matrix and neighboring cells. Atomic force microscope (AFM) has an unparalleled excellence in surface profiling of cells while the scanning quality depends upon experience or experiment conditions primarily. Methods: In this paper, a quadratic regression orthogonal rotation combination design was conducted to obtain optimal parameters of cell scanning via AFM. Results: By iterative calculation, the optimum AFM scanning of cell can be achieved at setpoint of 0.61 V, scanning rate of 2.23 Hz and proportional gain of 3.85. Satisfactory surface morphology images of human bronchial epithelium BEAS- 2B were acquired at this calculated scanning condition, in which the details of surface micro cilia structure and the pore structure are visible. Conclusion: Thus AFM is an effective means for real-time visualization of cell topography in liquid environment and this emerging insight into these cell profiling may promote the understanding of the underlying mechanism for cellular inner reconstruction and cell migration.