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Morphometrical Method for Estimating Mean Cell Volume of Phagocytosing Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2002

Hendrik Bos  and
Wanderley de Souza
Hendrik Bos
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Avenida Alberto Lamego, 2000, 28015-620, Campos, RJ, Brazil
Wanderley de Souza*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Avenida Alberto Lamego, 2000, 28015-620, Campos, RJ, Brazil Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS-Bloco G, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
*
*Corresponding author
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Abstract

A method is described for the estimation of mean cell volume of phagocytosing cells. The cells are coembedded with yeast particles of known size. By combination of data obtained from morphometrical analysis of sections in both the light and transmission electron microscopes, an estimate of the ratio between cell volume and yeast particle volume is obtained. The method makes use of the dissector but does not require measurements on serial sections or knowledge of section thickness. Evaluation of the method was done by studying the effect of phagocytosis of latex beads on macrophage cell volume and surface area. It was found that the surface area of phagocytosing macrophages remained constant although the cell volume increased by 27%. Furthermore, in phagocytosing macrophages, the amount of membrane enclosing intracellular vacuoles decreased by 28%, but this loss of membrane was balanced by the appearance of membrane enclosing the phagocytosed latex beads. The method described here may prove useful for morphometrical studies on phagocytosing leukocytes, as well as on intracellular parasites located within these cells.

Keywords

dissectormorphometryphagocytosisphagosomesstereologymacrophageselectron microscopy
Type
Research Article
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , January 2001 , pp. 39 - 47
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2001

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