METHOD OF FORMING A TWO-DIMENSIONAL DISTRIBUTION IMAGE OF ION CONCENTRATION IN A CELL

This invention relates to a method of forming a two-dimensional concentration distribution image of specific ions to be assayed in a living cell, on the basis of the variation in fluorescent spectrum or excitation spectrum of a fluorescent probe. This method comprises the steps of administering a fluorescent probe into a cell, obtaining a fluorescence intensity distribution image by determining fluorescence light from the fluorescent probe in a region including the cell, measuring the cell optically, thereby obtaining a cell image of the cell selected from the group consisting of a bright-field image, a phase contrast image, a Nomarski differential interference contrast image, and a polarization image, determining a background fluorescence value from a profile of the fluorescence intensity image and a profile of the cell image, forming a two-dimensional concentration distribution image of the ions to be assayed, by image processing including a subtraction of the background fluorescence value from the fluorescence intensity distribution image, and subjecting the cell image and the two-dimensional concentration distribution image of the ions to image processing, thereby displaying both images in an overlapping manner.