Imaging saponin-induced structural changes in neural processes with atomic force microscopy.
Temporal changes in the structure of neuronal processes in the presence of saponin were studied by atomic force microscopy in a fluid medium. After saponin treatment, concavities were formed on the surface of some neurites and fibrous structures in other neurites were splayed. The vertical height of these splayed fibrils or fibrillar bundles ranged from 13 to 370 nm, and the horizontal width was less than 500 nm. These findings suggest that formation of concavities and separation of bundled fibrils occurred simultaneously in saponin-treated neurites.
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