[Correction of nuclear volume fraction and specific surface area from random nucleated sections of cells with structured surfaces]

Abstract

Correction procedures are proposed for the nuclear volume fraction (Vvn) and the specific surface area (Svc) of single cell populations which allow to calculate true values of Vvn and Svc from biased samples of nucleated sections. The methods can be applied on the understanding that the cells have an approximately spherical basic shape and that cells of eventually existing different size classes are geometrically similar; any regular shape of the nucleus is not necessary. The correction formulas are especially suitable for cells with an extremely folded cell membrane surface. The procedures are tested on four populations of peritoneal cells and the results are compared with those of correction formulas derived from the sphere-in-sphere model.