Noninvasive Color Visualization of Blood Cells

• Published in: E-journal of Nondestructive Testing 2006-06, Vol.11 (6), p.1-3
• Main Authors: Krakhmalev, Viktor, Paiziev, Adkham
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1435-4934; 1435-4934

Our understanding of biological organization of a live matter and its cellular process we can mainly get from microscopy. But visualization of a biological structures is based on interaction of electrons and photons with sample what leads to destruction of a sample. In some cases to get color contrast image of separate elements of biological sample need to use a variety of dyes and fluorescent substances but it leads to artificial staining of sample, destructive modification and loss very important structural information its native structure. For instance to get color image of morphological structure of blood smears are usually using staining of living blood smears by dyes. But this method leads to disruption of sample caused by the specimen preparation and viewing conditions [1]. Other ways of generating color image contrast is based on visualization of phase gradients within unstaining specimens, as realized by phase contrast [2] and differential interference contrast [3]. Usually in medical practice conventional bright-field microscopy let us see black and white image of separate morphological elements of blood smears only (Figure la). In present paper we are offering the new nondestructive method of optical microscopy capable of examining the structures of living cells in their natural colors without staining them, using a specially designed substrate for deposition of biological sample and observing native structure in reflected light. This method based on physical phenomena of white light interference reflected from sample surface and special supporter on which this sample is deposited. As distinct from phase contrast [2] or differential interference contrast [3] microscopy there we have interference picture not for passed through sample and transparence object-plate two light rays but for two reflected light rays 1 and 2 on the sample surface and substrate respectively (Figure 2). It allows to occur at the image plane converting previously invisible gradients of refractive index within the specimen in to intensity gradients in the image.