This cartoon shows the GRIN microprobe assembly inside a pressurized artery and endothelium.
The GRIN microprobe consists of a single pitch GRIN relay lens (SRL-050; Nippon Sheet Glass, USA) with dimensions ø = 0.5 mm and length = 30.2 mm.
A 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm aluminium-coated micro-prism (66-771; Edmund Optics, USA) is attached to the distal surface using UV-curing optical epoxy (NAO 68; Norland Products, USA). The distal end of the GRIN rod with the prism attached is shown in the high resolution microscope image below.
The lens was sheated in a surgical stainless steel tube (0.71 mm outder diameter) for mechanical protection.
In this single lens configuration, the GRIN rod acts to reconjugate the image plane of detection optics through the length of the cylinder.
Wilson, C., Saunter, C.D., Girkin, J.M. and McCarron, J.G., 2015. Pressure‐dependent regulation of Ca2+ signalling in the vascular endothelium. The Journal of physiology, 593(24), pp.5231-5253. DOI: 10.1113/JP271157
The Setup