Subcellular mechano-microscopy: high resolution three-dimensional elasticity mapping using optical coherence microscopy

The importance of cellular-scale mechanical properties is well-established, yet it is challenging to map subcellular elasticity in three dimensions. We present subcellular mechano-microscopy, an optical coherence microscopy (OCM)-based variant of three-dimensional (3-D) compression optical coherence elastography (OCE) that provides an elasticity system resolution of 5 x 5 x 5 mu m: a 7-fold improvement in system resolution over previous OCE studies of cells. The improved resolution is achieved through a similar to 5-fold improvement in optical resolution, refinement of the strain estimation algorithm, and demonstration that mechanical deformation of subcellular features provides feature resolution far greater than that demonstrated previously on larger features with diameter >250 mu m. We use mechanomicroscopy to image adipose-derived stem cells encapsulated in gelatin methacryloyl. We compare our results with compression OCE and demonstrate that mechano-microscopy can provide contrast from subcellular features not visible using OCE. (C) 2022 Optica Publishing Group

Automated summary

This study presents a subcellular mechano-microscopy technique based on optical coherence microscopy, which enables more accurate mapping of cellular elasticity in three dimensions with higher resolution and contrast. This technique has important implications in cellular mechanics research and biomedical applications.