Mechanoprofiling on membranes of living cells with atomic force microscopy and optical nano-profilometry

Membrane topography of living cells has been considered as an effective parameter that reflects cellular statuses. With the improvements in spatial and temporal resolutions of various measurement techniques, the changes of membrane topography in response to various external stimulations in the culture environments can be accurately recorded. Membrane roughness is a useful parameter to evaluate the changes in membrane topography. At present, atomic force microscopy (AFM) is the most common technique to measure the membrane topography and roughness of living cells. On the other hand, with the non-contact profiling capability, many optical techniques are also employed in this field of research. This review briefly introduces the evolution and applications of AFM on measuring membrane roughness. Meanwhile, quantifying the cell membrane topography and roughness with a non-scanning, non-contact, and label-free optical technique, non-interferometric wide-field optical profilometry (NIWOP), is also presented