Goniometer Measurements

To investigate the effect of acetic acid on the scattering pattern of cells, goniometer measurements of the tumor cell suspensions in both PBS and acetic acid were taken. The acetic acid measurements were made by suspending the cells in a mixture of half PBS and half acetic acid (6%), and both solutions contained the same number of cells/ml. Background measurements were taken, followed by cells in PBS and then cells in acetic acid.

The results, plotted in Figure 5.20,

  

Figure 5.20: Effect of acetic acid on the measured scattering pattern of tumor cells.

do not show significant differences at small angles, but the cells in acetic acid scatter more at angles between 40 and $140^\circ$. This increase could result in the whitening effect observed in cervix tissue. The measurements at angles greater than $140^\circ$show no significant differences between the two cell suspensions. As the measurements at these angles were taken last, the effect of the acetic acid was most likely diminished. In the cervix, the acetowhite effect lasts only for about one minute [2], but it was found to last significantly longer (10-15 minutes) in the cell suspensions viewed under the microscope.