Human brain under a microscope. Bone and cartilage, fatty, muscle and nerve tissues. And this is how the lung cells look even closer

Cancer cells develop from healthy particles in the body. They do not penetrate tissues and organs from the outside, but are part of them.

Under the influence of factors that have not been fully studied, malignant formations stop responding to signals and begin to behave differently. The appearance of the cell also changes.

A malignant tumor is formed from a single cell that has become cancerous. This happens due to modifications occurring in genes. Most malignant particles have 60 or more mutations.

Before the final transformation into a cancer cell, it goes through a series of transformations. As a result, some of the pathological cells die, but a few survive and become cancerous.

When a normal cell mutates, it goes into the stage of hyperplasia, then atypical hyperplasia, and turns into carcinoma. Over time, it becomes invasive, that is, it moves throughout the body.

What is a healthy particle

It is generally accepted that cells are the first step in the organization of all living organisms. They are responsible for ensuring all vital functions, such as growth, metabolism, and transmission of biological information. In the literature they are usually called somatic, that is, those that make up the entire human body, except for those that take part in sexual reproduction.

The particles that make up a person are very diverse. However, they share a number of common features. All healthy elements go through the same stages of their life journey. It all starts at birth, then the process of maturation and functioning occurs. It ends with the death of the particle as a result of the activation of a genetic mechanism.

The process of self-destruction is called apoptosis, it occurs without disturbing the viability of surrounding tissues and inflammatory reactions.

During their life cycle, healthy particles divide a certain number of times, that is, they begin to reproduce only if there is a need. This happens after receiving a signal to divide. There is no division limit in reproductive and stem cells and lymphocytes.

Five interesting facts

Malignant particles are formed from healthy tissue. As they develop, they begin to differ significantly from ordinary cells.

Scientists were able to identify the main features of tumor-forming particles:

Endlessly divisible– the pathological cell constantly doubles and increases in size. Over time, this leads to the formation of a tumor consisting of a huge number of copies of the cancer particle.
Cells separate from each other and exist autonomously– they lose their molecular connection with each other and stop sticking together. This leads to the movement of malignant elements throughout the body and their settling on various organs.
Can't manage its life cycle– p53 protein is responsible for cell restoration. In most cancer cells, this protein is faulty, so life cycle control is not established. Experts call this defect immortality.
Lack of development– malignant elements lose their signal with the body and engage in endless division without having time to mature. Because of this, multiple gene errors are formed in them, affecting their functional abilities.
Each cell has different external parameters– pathological elements are formed from various healthy parts of the body, which have their own characteristics in appearance. Therefore, they differ in size and shape.

There are malignant elements that do not form a lump, but accumulate in the blood. An example is leukemia. Cancer cells get more and more errors as they divide. This leads to the fact that subsequent elements of the tumor may be completely different from the initial pathological particle.

Many experts believe that cancer particles begin to move inside the body immediately after the formation of a tumor. To do this, they use blood and lymphatic vessels. Most of them die as a result of the immune system, but a few survive and settle on healthy tissues.

All detailed information about cancer cells in this scientific lecture:

The structure of a malignant particle

Disturbances in genes lead not only to changes in the functioning of cells, but also to disorganization of their structure. They change in size, internal structure, and the shape of the complete set of chromosomes. These visible abnormalities allow specialists to distinguish them from healthy particles. Examining cells under a microscope allows cancer to be diagnosed.

Core

Tens of thousands of genes are located in the nucleus. They control the functioning of the cell, dictating its behavior. Most often, the nuclei are located in the central part, but in some cases they can move to one side of the membrane.

In cancer cells, the nuclei vary the most; they become larger and acquire a spongy structure. The nuclei have depressed segments, a rugged membrane, and enlarged and distorted nucleoli.

Proteins

The Protein Challenge in performing basic functions that are necessary to maintain cell viability. They transport nutrients to it, convert them into energy, and transmit information about changes in the external environment. Some proteins are enzymes whose job is to convert unused substances into needed products.

In a cancer cell, proteins change and they lose the ability to do their job correctly. Errors affect enzymes and the particle's life cycle is altered.

Mitochondria

The part of the cell in which products such as proteins, sugars, and lipids are converted into energy is called mitochondria. This transformation uses oxygen. As a result, toxic wastes such as free radicals are formed. It is believed that they can trigger the process of turning a cell into a cancerous one.

Plasma membrane

All elements of the particle are surrounded by a wall made of lipids and proteins. The membrane's job is to keep them all in place. In addition, it blocks the path of those substances that should not enter the cell from the body.

Special membrane proteins, which are its receptors, perform an important function. They transmit coded messages to the cell, according to which it reacts to changes in the environment.

Misreading of genes leads to changes in receptor production. Because of this, the particle does not become aware of changes in the external environment and begins to lead an autonomous way of existence. This behavior leads to cancer.

Malignant particles of different organs

Cancer cells can be recognized by their shape. Not only do they behave differently, but they also look different from normal ones.

Scientists from Clarkson University conducted research which resulted in the conclusion that healthy and pathological particles differ in geometric shape. For example, malignant cervical cancer cells have a higher degree of fractality.

Fractal are geometric shapes that consist of similar parts. Each of them looks like a copy of the entire figure.

Scientists were able to obtain images of cancer cells using an atomic force microscope. The device made it possible to obtain a three-dimensional map of the surface of the particle being studied.

Scientists continue to study changes in fractality during the process of converting normal particles into cancer particles.

Lungs' cancer

Lung pathology can be non-small cell or small cell. In the first case, tumor particles divide slowly; in later stages, they are pinched off from the maternal lesion and move throughout the body due to the flow of lymph.

In the second case, the neoplasm particles are small in size and prone to rapid division. Over the course of a month, the number of cancer particles doubles. Elements of the tumor can spread both to organs and bone tissue.

The cell has an irregular shape with rounded areas. Multiple growths of different structures are visible on the surface. The color of the cell at the edges is beige, and towards the middle it turns red.

Breast cancer

Tumor formation in the breast may consist of particles that have been transformed from components such as connective and glandular tissue, ducts. The tumor elements themselves can be large or small. In highly differentiated breast pathology, the particles are distinguished by nuclei of the same size.

The cell has a round shape, its surface is loose and heterogeneous. Long straight shoots protrude from it in all directions. At the edges the color of the cancer cell is lighter and brighter, but inside it is darker and more saturated.

Skin cancer

Skin cancer is most often associated with the transformation of melanocytes into a malignant form. The cells are located in the skin in any part of the body. Experts often associate these pathological changes with prolonged exposure to the open sun or in a solarium. Ultraviolet radiation promotes the mutation of healthy skin elements.

Cancer cells develop on the surface of the skin for a long time. In some cases, pathological particles behave more aggressively, quickly growing deep into the skin.

Oncology cell It has a rounded shape, with multiple villi visible across its entire surface. Their color is lighter than that of the membrane.

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Almost all of the images presented here were taken using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The electron beam emitted by such a device interacts with the atoms of the desired object, resulting in 3D images of the highest resolution. Magnification of 250,000 times allows you to see details measuring 1-5 nanometers (that is, billionths of a meter).

The first SEM image was obtained in 1935 by Max Knoll, and already in 1965 the Cambridge Instrument Company offered its Stereoscan to DuPont. Now such devices are widely used in research centers.

Looking at the pictures below, you will take a journey through your body, starting from your head and ending with your intestines and pelvic organs. You'll see what normal cells look like and what happens to them when they are attacked by cancer, and you'll also get a visual understanding of how, say, the first meeting of an egg and sperm occurs.

This is what you might call the heart of your blood, the red blood cells (RBCs). These cute biconcave cells have the responsible task of carrying oxygen throughout the body. Typically, in one cubic millimeter of blood there are 4-5 million such cells in women and 5-6 million in men. People living at high altitudes, where there is a lack of oxygen, have even more red cells.

To avoid hair splitting that is invisible to the normal eye, you need to get your hair cut regularly and use good shampoos and conditioners.

Of the 100 billion neurons in your brain, Purkinje cells are some of the largest. Among other things, they are responsible in the cerebellar cortex for motor coordination. They are adversely affected by alcohol or lithium poisoning, as well as autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders (including autism), as well as neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, etc.).

This is what stereocilia, or the sensory elements of the vestibular apparatus inside your ear, look like. By detecting sound vibrations, they control response mechanical movements and actions.

Shown here are the blood vessels of the retina emerging from the black-colored optic disc. This disc is a “blind spot” because there are no light receptors in this area of the retina.

There are about 10,000 taste buds on the human tongue, which help determine the taste of salty, sour, bitter, sweet and spicy.

To avoid deposits on your teeth that look like unthreshed spikelets, it is advisable to brush your teeth more often.

Remember how beautiful healthy red blood cells looked? Now look how they become in the web of a deadly blood clot. In the very center is a white blood cell (leukocyte).

Here is a view of your lung from the inside. The empty cavities are alveoli, where oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide.

Now look at how the lungs deformed by cancer differ from the healthy ones in the previous picture.

The villi of the small intestine increase its area, which promotes better absorption of food. These are irregularly cylindrical outgrowths up to 1.2 millimeters high. The basis of the villi is loose connective tissue. In the center, like a rod, runs a wide lymphatic capillary, or lacteal sinus, and on the sides of it there are blood vessels and capillaries. Fats pass through the milky sinus into the lymph and then into the blood, and proteins and carbohydrates enter the bloodstream through the blood capillaries of the villi. Upon careful examination, you can notice food debris in the grooves.

Here you see a human egg. The egg is covered with a glycoprotein membrane (zona pellicuda), which not only protects it, but also helps to capture and retain sperm. Two coronal cells are attached to the shell.

The photo captures the moment when several sperm try to fertilize an egg.

It looks like a war of the worlds, but in fact, you have an egg in front of you 5 days after fertilization. Some sperm are still retained on its surface. The image was taken using a confocal microscope. The egg and sperm nuclei are purple, while the sperm flagella are green. The blue areas are nexuses, intercellular gap junctions that communicate between cells.

You are present at the beginning of a new life cycle. A six-day-old human embryo is implanted into the endometrium, the lining of the uterine cavity. Let's wish him good luck!

Modern optics make it possible to improve their characteristics when creating, which, in turn, allows not only to observe the macrocosm, but also to take photos for later study.

Macro photography of the human body is very fascinating; it became available relatively recently, but has already managed to provide the world of science with extremely useful information and better understand the structure of various tissues of the human body.

Cochlea of the inner ear

Cochlea of the inner ear: red spiral stripe - the main sound-sensitive membrane transmitting signals to the organ of Corti.

Filiform and mushroom-shaped papillae of the tongue

Here, among the filiform papillae, you can see the round papilla - a receptor that responds to salty foods.

The filiform papillae of the tongue, they are rough and keratinized, are mechanical receptors. By the way, the muscles of the tongue are the strongest in the body.

Human facial epidermis and hair. About 600 thousand epidermal scales are lost every hour.

An image of the human epidermis obtained using an electron scanning microscope. In about 27 days, the surface layer of human skin is completely renewed.

This is nothing more than the tip of a human hair under magnification. An even cut of hair is obtained when using a razor; when using scissors or an electric razor, the end of the hair is significantly damaged. Hair does not decompose and rot for a very long time - Egyptian hair, which was at least 4 thousand years old with perfectly preserved hair.

Image obtained by scanning with an electron microscope.

Image of the surface of a broken human tooth. The green part is bacterial plaque, and the uneven sawtooth surface is tooth enamel.

Macrostructure of the tibia bone

Internal structure of the tibia bone. By the way, human feet contain more than 50 bones, and in total an adult has 206.

Papillary pattern of the finger - papillary lines and droplets of sweat secreted by the pores are clearly visible. By the way, even twins have different fingerprint patterns.

When viewing the pictures, it seems that we have entered another world and are looking at it through the eyes of some bacteria. Everything that in everyday life seems tiny and insignificant to us in the macrocosm turns into something gigantic, sometimes in no way similar to the human eye. In fact, if you look down, it is no less exciting than looking at stars in space. Although humanity is more inclined to strive to look into something distant, global and infinite like the universe.

With in-depth studies of microscopy, it becomes important for novice biologists and physicians to study histological samples. They are prepared using a special technology with dissection of biological tissue into thin sections using a microtome. We will talk about this briefly in this review using the example of brain research under microscope. We will need a binocular or trinocular model with a bottom illuminator that provides a transmitted light (brightfield) observation method.

Brain located in the medulla of the skull (bone part of the head) of humans and vertebrates, and is the main organ of the central nervous system. In this center for controlling the activity of a living organism, many electrically excitable neurons are combined thanks to synoptic transmission of nerve impulses.

Currently, the brain is not fully understood, many aspects remain unclear, despite the large number of laboratories on anatomy and architecture, and the huge amount of work done by scientists around the world. It is known that in humans its mass is on average two percent of the total body weight. It has a complex structure and wide functionality.

Tissues that can be seen in a microscopic specimen of the brain under a microscope:

Connective fibrous fibrous. Forms the dura mater, arachnoid and pia mater. The main cells in its composition are: fibroblasts, synthesizing the components of the intercellular substance;
Cerebrospinal fluid (called “cerebrospinal fluid”), which performs protective functions and continuously circulates in the lateral, third and fourth ventricles (cavities). It also ensures the maintenance of intracranial pressure favorable for life. It is produced by the choroid plexuses - formations that, at 1000x magnification, are distinguishable as villi;
Nerve fibers are prominent processes of neurons covered with glia;
Glial cells.
A network of elastic blood vessels consisting of myocytes.

Without special medical equipment, you will not be able to prepare a microslide yourself; in this case, it is recommended to use a ready-made sample included in the Anatomy and Physiology kit (Micromed or Levenhuk).

Stages of creating a microsample in a pathology laboratory:

Taking biomaterial for diagnosis by a surgeon or pathologist;
Fixation in formalin or alcohol solution.
Hematoxylin-eosin staining
Freezing. Deep cooling promotes the hardening required for microtoming slicing;
Mounting between slide and cover glass.

The microsample is placed in the slide or under the metal clamps of the microscope stage. Then it is centered so that the light radiation penetrates the preparation from below, passing through the cellular structure upward towards the optical system. The condenser is adjusted for maximum light transmission. Initially, a “search” lens of minimum magnification is selected on the revolver, then the degree of zoom is gradually increased to 400x and 1000x.

The results of research activities are recorded in the form of photographs - for this, a digital camera is inserted into one of the eyepiece tubes of the visual attachment and connected to a computer. Photography is carried out using software.