Caption
Evaluation of the adhesion of murine pre-osteoblast cells to a ceramic material (hydroxyapatite) using immunofluorescence labelling. This involves observing the morphology of the cells and the way in which they have adhered to the surface of the ceramic. These cells are analysed by viewing the structures or markers detected via indirect coupling to various fluorescent molecules. The cell nuclei can be seen in the bottom left of the screen. In the top left, the detection of vinculin allows the points of adhesion to be viewed. In the top right, it is possible to see a constituent of the cytoskeleton, actin, which is associated with vinculin in the cell adhesion areas, and which also indicates the morphology of the cell. Finally, the three images are superimposed upon one another in the bottom right corner. This research is performed as part of efforts to evaluate the biological properties of optimised ceramic materials destined for applications in bone tissue engineering (bone substitutes).
