Tissue morphology from spectral polarimetry

An important issue in the development of cultured tissues is the alignment of the cells within the scaffold, or on the substrate. Proper alignment leads to optimum tissue strength and it has been demonstrated that proper alignment is engendered by application of physiologically realistic stresses during the cell proliferation process. In situ monitoring of cell alignment during development can provide important feedback information in determining the optimum stresses. Numerical calculations suggest that cell aspect and orientation can be inferred from the polarization of the light scattered by these cells. In this paper, we demonstrate that a measurement of the wave length-dependent depolarization of the light scattered from the cell layer reveals the alignment of these cells. We present results of experimental measurements on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC's) layered onto glass cover slips and of simulations using T-matrix methods.