Chemical visualization of individual chondrocytes in articular cartilage by attenuated-total-reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Microimaging

Fourier transform infrared imaging (FTIRI) and the attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared microimaging (ATR-FTIRM) were used to study the chemical and structural distributions of cellular components surrounding individual chondrocytes in canine humeral cartilage, at 6.25 mu m pixel resolution in FTIRI and 1.56 mu m pixel resolution in ATR-FTIRM. The chemical and structural distributions of the cellular components in chondrocytes and tissue can be successfully imaged in high resolution ATR-FTIRM. One can also study the territorial matrix of fine collagen fibrils surrounding the individual chondrocytes by the polarization experiments using the absorption ratio of amide I to amide II bands. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America