Work

Morphometric effects of particulate air pollution on an optically trapped single red blood cell

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Particulate air pollution is associated with excess deaths and increases in hospital admissions because of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Several scientific studies and assessments have linked particulate pollution to a variety of health problems. In this paper, we provide a single cell in vitro analysis for the effect of the particles, which can enter into blood stream, on red blood cells (RBCs). The RBCs under experiment are incubated with [Formula: see text] particle as the most abundant air pollutants in big cities. The self-referencing digital holographic microscopy (DHM) in Gates' arrangement as a vibration-immune methodology is considered here for live visualization and quantitative analysis of the cells. DHM is a label-free and noninvasive method, therefore, suitable for quantitative and morphometric imaging of biological specimens in arbitrary time scales and at video rates. Single RBCs are immobilized by a blinking multiple optical trapping system integrated to the DHM system. Through post-process numerical reconstruction of the recorded digital holograms, the morphology changes of the pollution-exposed RBCs are tracked and expressed in terms of volume and several statistical morphometry parameters.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-00955-x

Authors: Vahideh Farzam Rad, Maryam Mohammadi, Ali-Reza Moradi

Institutions: Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, University of Basel, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Digital Holography and Microscopy

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,690