Variation of the sound attenuation inside HeLa cells during cell division using high-frequency time-resolved acoustic microscope

High-frequency, scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) imaging of the dividing HeLa cells (cell line derived from human cervics carcinoma) has revealed that acoustical images of the HeLa cells become darker during cell division. The dark contrast of the dividing HeLa cells was attributed to increase of sound attenuation in the cytoskeleton. In this report, RF-imaging of adherent HeLa cells at different stages of the cell cycle has been conducted using high-frequency, time-resolved scanning acoustic microscope (SAM). B-Scan images of HeLa cells at different stages of the cell cycle show distinct patterns inside the cell. Velocity of the longitudinal wave, density, thickness and attenuation of the longitudinal waves inside the HeLa cell were determined by measuring the waveform of the echo signals reflected from the top and the bottom of the cell. It was found that attenuation increased after the cell division by 50%. The increase of the attenuation can be attributed to the p olymerization of the f-actin.