Preliminary research on relationship between dielectric properties and microstructure of rabbit liver

The dielectric properties in vitro present characteristic changes along with the alteration of metabolic activities, which can be detected from tissue microstructure. The dielectric properties of tissue are closely related to its viability, but by now the relationship remains unclear to us. The purpose of this study is to specify the relationship between dielectric parameters and microstructure of living tissue and to try to explain the influence of tissue viability on dielectric properties. Nine rabbits were studied in this experiment. The Impedance spectroscopy (lOHz-lMHz) and microstructure were determined at different time intervals (from 5min to 7h) after samples were prepared. Some characteristic parameters were extracted to analyze the relationship between them. The inac-tivation process characterized by the microstructures could be detected by means of dielectric parameters: the microstructures had no obvious change within 30min and cell swelling caused by osmosis lead to the decrease of extracellular ion concentration, resulting in the rise of low-frequency impedance; after 30min, the reduction of impedance was accompanied by the expanding intercellular area and irregular cell shape caused by the gradual destruction of cell membrane. The functions between alteration rate of intercellular area and Cole-Cole model parameters were also established. There is a strong correlative relationship between dielectric properties and microstructure. The dielectric spectrum can be a rapid and innocuous method to monitor the status of tissue. In the future it may be of great help for clinical application, especially in transplantation. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.