In this letter, we reported a high-resolution
photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) to image erythrocytes
and blood vessels. The developed system had the ability to
provide a lateral resolution of 1.0 μm at the wavelength of
532 nm with a  10 objective. First, we used a sharp edge
to measure the lateral resolution of the PAM and testified
the stability with carbon fibers. Then, using this system, in
vivo blood vessels and capillaries of a mouse ear, even a
single erythrocyte can be clearly imaged. There was a pair
of accompanying venule and arteriole, whose detailed and
further complicated branches can be clearly identified. And
likely red blood cells (RBCs) arrayed one by one in
microvasculature was also shown. The experimental
results demonstrate that the high-resolution PAM has
potential clinical applications for imaging of erythrocytes
and blood vessels.

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• In vivo imaging of a single erythrocyte with high-resolution photoacoustic microscopy