Nanoparticle assisted photothermal deformation of individual neuronal organelles and cells.

V H Romero,F Santamaria,W Egido,Z Kereselidze,X G Peralta,E A Michaelides

doi:10.1364/boe.5.004002

Abstract

Stimulation of the localized surface plasmon of metallic nanoparticles has been shown to be an effective mechanism to induce photothermal damage in biological tissues. However, few studies have focused on single cell or subcellular ablation. Our results show that, upon incubation, gold nanostars are internalized by neurons of acute mouse cerebellar brain slices, clustering inside or close to the nucleus. By stimulating the nanostars' surface plasmon using a femtosecond laser, we show deformation of single nuclei and single cells. Given its precision and extremely localized effect, this is a promising technique for photothermal therapy in areas sensitive to collateral thermal damage such as the nervous system.

Highlights

There is a lot of interest in characterizing the bulk effects of nanoparticle mediated photothermal damage in tissues [1,2,3,4]
When the nanoparticles are illuminated with laser light at a wavelength close to that of the surface plasmon, the electromagnetic energy absorbed heats up the electrons which thermalize with the lattice and the surrounding media [8, 9]
The absorption spectrum is broad and shows that the surface plasmon resonance is centered around 840 nm (Fig. 1(d))

Summary

Introduction

There is a lot of interest in characterizing the bulk effects of nanoparticle mediated photothermal damage in tissues [1,2,3,4]. When the nanoparticles are illuminated with laser light at a wavelength close to that of the surface plasmon, the electromagnetic energy absorbed heats up the electrons which thermalize with the lattice and the surrounding media [8, 9]. This transfer of thermal energy can affect the surrounding tissue in several ways

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion