Modulating Ca2+ release in the dorsal root ganglion neurons using femtosecond laser

Abstract

The calcium ion (Ca2+) is a ubiquitous second messenger that is responsible for regulating a wide range of cellular and biological processes, including cell proliferation and cell death, gene expression, muscle contraction and neurotransmission. Here, we demonstrate the change of intracellular Ca2+ release in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in vitro by femtosecond laser stimulation using confocal microscopy combined with special fluorescence probe Fluo-3/AM. The results showed that relative fluorescence intensity increased significantly after the axons of DRG neurons was performed with photostimulation. It demonstrated that femtosecond laser stimulation could affect the intracellular Ca2+ release in the sensory neurons and might be used to treat pain by modulating intracellular Ca2+ release in DRG neurons.