Sonoporation of suspension cells with a single cavitation bubble in a microfluidic confinement

Abstract

We report here the sonoporation of HL60 (human promyelocytic leukemia) suspension cells in a microfluidic confinement using a single laser-induced cavitation bubble. Cavitation bubbles can induce membrane poration of cells located in their close vicinity. Membrane integrity of suspension cells placed in a microfluidic chamber is probed through either the calcein release out of calcein-loaded cells or the uptake of trypan blue. Cells that are located farther away than four times Rmax (maximum bubble radius) from the cavitation bubble center remain fully unaffected, while cells closer than 0.75 Rmax become porated with a probability of >75%. These results enable us to define a distance of 0.75 Rmax as a critical interaction distance of the cavitation bubble with HL60 suspension cells. These experiments suggest that flow-induced poration of suspension cells is applicable in lab-on-a-chip systems, and this might be an interesting alternative to electroporation.