QUANTITATIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL-CELL MORPHOLOGYAND ORIENTATION USING FOURIER-TRANSFORM ANALYSIS

Fourier Transform methods were used to quantify mean elongation mean o rientation and standard deviation of orientations of cultured vascular endothelial cells. Images of cell populations, which had been subject ed to 11 and 20 hours of shear stress at 30 dynes/cm(2) and 20 hours o f no shear, were analyzed by Fourier Transform methods. Measurements o f cell morphology and orientation characteristics were also obtained u sing a manual method for comparison purposes. The results of the study showed that mean cell orientation can be determined accurately with t he Fourier Transform methods. Attempts to determine the standard devia tion of cell orientations however, resulted in poorer estimates of mea n elongation and standard deviation of orientations except in the case of exposure of endothelial cells to 20 hours of shear, where the actu al standard deviation of orientations was low. When the value for stan dard deviation of orientations was constrained to zero, a minimum poss ible mean elongation was determined reliably using the Fourier Transfo rm methods. Use of the Fourier Transform methods in determining morpho logical and orientation characteristics of cell monolayers is fast and objective and may provide a basis for identifying other characteristi cs of cell shape.