Investigation of mechanical impact effects on biological cells with scanned image microscopy

The objective of this study is to observe the behavior of the living cells after introducing impact, caused by an aluminum bullet shot out from an air gun, onto them via tungsten/polymer plate and culture liquid. An air gun type of apparatus shoots an aluminum bullet, wherein the shape of the bullet is substantially a sphere (diameter: 5 mm), and wherein the velocity of the bullet is controlled by the amount of air used for shooting. The aluminum bullet shot out from the air gun impacts onto the polymer/tungsten plate, located above the living cells grown on the bottom of the container (i.e., thin semi-transparent polymer membrane), which is located on the surface of a 200 kHz Panametrics transducer. The container is supported by a polymer member to prevent movement from shock caused by the bullet impact. The plate generates an acoustic wave (i.e., shock wave) by the mechanical impact (i.e., bullet impact) which is then converted into an electrical signal by the transducer. The amplitude of the electrical signal is measured and monitored by the digital oscilloscope. The transducer is calibrated by hydrophone with its peripheral equipment including computer software. The output voltage from transducer was monitored by the digital oscilloscope. The injury and recovery of the specimen are evaluated by scanned image microscopes. Furthermore, quantitative data showing the injury and recovery of the specimen can be obtained with the electromagnetic measurement.