Calcium imaging Calcium imaging Calcium imaging is a scientific technique usually carried out in research which is designed to show the calcium (Ca) status of an isolated cell, tissue or medium. Calcium imaging techniques take advantage of so-called calcium indicators, fluorescent molecules that can respond to the binding of Ca ions by changing their fluorescence properties. Two main classes of calcium indicators exist: chemical indicators and genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECI). Calcium imaging can be used to optically probe intracellular calcium in living animals. This technique has allowed studies of calcium signalling in a wide variety of cell types and neuronal activity
Calcium metabolism This process is known as the sliding filament model of muscle contraction. The plasma "total calcium" concentration is in the range of 2.2-2.6 mmol/L (9-10.5 mg/dL), and the normal "ionized calcium" is 1.3-1.5 mmol/L (4.5-5.6 mg/dL). The amount of total calcium in the blood varies with the level of plasma albumin, the most abundant protein in plasma, and therefore the main carrier of protein-bound calcium in the blood. The biologic effect of calcium is, however, determined by the amount of "ionized calcium", rather than the total calcium. It is therefore the plasma ionized calcium level which is tightly regulated to