3-dimensional imaging and analysis of smooth muscle colonization of porous chitosan scaffolds

Confocal microscopy provides a method by which the interior of a transparent system may be probed by minimally invasive means. In this study the authors examined the use of this technique for three dimensional imaging of the growth of smooth muscle cells (SMC) within a porous chitosan, scaffold. By labeling scaffold material and cells with different fluorophores, confocal imaging could be combined with inexpensive software to provide detailed 3-D views of the spatial relationships between the porous structure and incorporated cells. Quantitative data on cellular volume could be easily obtained together with similar data for the porous material. This dual imaging approach provides a useful technique for studying the dynamics of cell-cell and cell-material interactions as well as material degradation during the scaffold colonization process