UTILITY OF FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY IN EMBRYONIC FETAL TOPOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

For topographical analysis of developing embryos, investigators typica lly rely on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to provide the surface detail not attainable with light microscopy. SEM is an expensive and r ime-consuming technique, however, and the preparation procedure may al ter morphology and leave the specimen friable. We report that by using a high-resolution compound epifluorescence microscope with inexpensiv e low-power objectives and the fluorochrome acridine orange, we were a ble to obtain surface images of fixed or fresh whole rat embryos and f etal palates of considerably greater topographical detail than those o btained using routine light microscopy. Indeed the resulting high-reso lution images afford not only superior qualitative documentation of mo rphological observations, but the capability for detailed morphometry via digitization and computer-assisted image analysis. (C) 1995 Wiley- Liss, Inc.