3D analysis of gelatin gel networks from transmission electron microscopy imaging

This paper presents a quantitative analysis of the structural parameters of gelatin gel networks derived from transmission electron micrographs. The network gel replicas were obtained by a quick-freezing, deep-etching and rotary replication method adapted to the study of fragile physical networks by Favard P. et al. (Biol. Cell 67 (1989) 201-207). Stereo electron micrographs were taken by tilting the replicas at increasing angles between 35 to + 30°. A 3D reconstruction of the filamentous network was performed by stereoscopic and tomographic procedures. These procedures allowed us to measure the thicknesses of the replicas. The average length of filaments