Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.104, No.22, 5217-5220, 2000
Near-field second harmonic imaging of granular membrane structures in natural killer cells
Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) has been used in combination with a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) to image biological samples for the first time. Near-field SHG images of azure B stained mouse natural killer (NK) cells were recorded at four different wavelengths using a tunable near-infrared femtosecond laser. The surface specificity of SHG allows membrane structures to be selectively imaged with subdiffraction spatial resolution under ambient conditions. Resonance enhancement of SHG is shown to provide a chemically specific contrast mechanism in NSOM imaging, revealing submicron features associated with the cytolytic granular membrane.
Keywords:QUANTUM-DOT MONOLAYERS;2ND-HARMONIC GENERATION;DIPOLE-MOMENTS;SOLVATOCHROMISM;SPECTROSCOPY;TRANSDUCTION;ACTIVATION;ABSORPTION;MOLECULES;SURFACE