Jw. Hofstraat et al., FLOW-CYTOMETRY - FAST AND QUANTITATIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF PARTICLES IN SUSPENSION, Analytica chimica acta, 290(1-2), 1994, pp. 135-145
The application of flow cytometers for automated and rapid measurement
s of particles in suspension is presently widely accepted for biomedic
al applications. Flow cytometers, however, also offer many advantages
for determination of (properties of) particles in other application ar
eas. In this paper the potential of flow cytometry for environmental a
nalysis is demonstrated, using examples taken from the analysis of phy
toplankton in sea water. Flow cytometry is applied for automated measu
rement of the species abundance of phytoplankton in sea water, on the
basis of the characteristic optical properties of the various algal sp
ecies. More specific determination of, for instance, toxic phytoplankt
on could be achieved by making use of selective stains. Another applic
ation area is that of functional analysis of phytoplankton species. He
re also specific fluorescent stains are used. Examples are presented o
f viability analysis and of cell cycle analysis, both of phytoplankton
species. Other applications of flow cytometry in analytical sciences
are discussed.