Giant cell formation in cells exposed to 740 nm and 760 nm optical traps

Optical Tweezers: Phototoxicity and Thermal Stress in Cells and Biomolecules

For several decades optical tweezers have proven to be an invaluable tool in the study and analysis of myriad biological responses and applications. However, as with every tool, they can have undesirable or damaging effects upon the very sample they are helping to study. In this review the main negative effects of optical tweezers upon biostructures and living systems will be presented. There are three main areas on which the review will focus: linear optical excitation within the tweezers, non-linear photonic effects, and thermal load upon the sampled volume. Additional information is provided on negative mechanical effects of optical traps on biological structures. Strategies to avoid or, at least, minimize these negative effects will be introduced. Finally, all these effects, undesirable for the most, can have positive applications under the right conditions. Some hints in this direction will also be discussed.

Direct 1O2 optical excitation: A tool for redox biology

Molecular oxygen (O2) displays very interesting properties. Its first excited state, commonly known as singlet oxygen (1O2), is one of the so-called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). It has been implicated in many redox processes in biological systems. For many decades its role has been that of a deleterious chemical species, although very positive clinical applications in the Photodynamic Therapy of cancer (PDT) have been reported. More recently, many ROS, and also 1O2, are in the spotlight because of their role in physiological signaling, like cell proliferation or tissue regeneration. However, there are methodological shortcomings to properly assess the role of 1O2 in redox biology with classical generation procedures. In this review the direct optical excitation of O2 to produce 1O2 will be introduced, in order to present its main advantages and drawbacks for biological studies. This photonic approach can provide with many interesting possibilities to understand and put to use ROS in redox signaling and in the biomedical field.

Quantum dot-based thermal spectroscopy and imaging of optically trapped microspheres and single cells

Laser-induced thermal effects in optically trapped microspheres and single cells are investigated by quantum dot luminescence thermometry. Thermal spectroscopy has revealed a non-localized temperature distribution around the trap that extends over tens of micrometers, in agreement with previous theoretical models besides identifying water absorption as the most important heating source. The experimental results of thermal loading at a variety of wavelengths reveal that an optimum trapping wavelength exists for biological applications close to 820 nm. This is corroborated by a simultaneous analysis of the spectral dependence of cellular heating and damage in human lymphocytes during optical trapping. This quantum dot luminescence thermometry demonstrates that optical trapping with 820 nm laser radiation produces minimum intracellular heating, well below the cytotoxic level (43 °C), thus, avoiding cell damage.

Surgical applications of femtosecond lasers

Femtosecond laser ablation permits non-invasive surgeries in the bulk of a sample with submicrometer resolution. We briefly review the history of optical surgery techniques and the experimental background of femtosecond laser ablation. Next, we present several clinical applications, including dental surgery and eye surgery. We then summarize research applications, encompassing cell and tissue studies, research on C. elegans, and studies in zebrafish. We conclude by discussing future trends of femtosecond laser systems and some possible application directions.

Recent advances in capillary electrophoretic analysis of individual cells

Because variability exists within populations of cells, single-cell analysis has become increasingly important for probing complex cellular environments. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an excellent technique for identifying and quantifying the contents of single cells owing to its small volume requirements and fast, efficient separations with highly sensitive detection. Recent progress in both whole-cell and subcellular sampling has allowed researchers to study cellular function in the areas of neuroscience, oncology, enzymology, immunology, and gene expression.

Comet assay measurements of DNA damage in cells by laser microbeams and trapping beams with wavelengths spanning a range of 308 nm to 1064 nm

DNA damage induced in NC37 lymphoblasts by optical tweezers with a continuous-wave Ti:sapphire laser and a continuous-wave Nd:YAG laser (60-240 mW; 10-50 TJ/m2; 30-120 s irradiation) was studied with the comet assay, a single-cell technique used to detect DNA fragmentation in genomes. Over the wavelength range of 750-1064 nm, the amount of damage in DNA peaks at around 760 nm, with the fraction of DNA damage within the range of 750-780 nm being a factor of two larger than the fraction of DNA damage within the range of 800-1064 nm. The variation in DNA damage was not significant over the range of 800-1064 nm. When the logarithm of damage thresholds measured in the present work, as well as values reported previously in the UV range, was plotted as a function of wavelength, a dramatic wavelength dependence became apparent. The damage threshold values can be fitted on two straight lines, one for continuous-wave sources and the other for pulsed sources, irrespective of the type of source used (e.g. classical lamp or laser). The damage threshold around 760 nm falls on the line extrapolated from values for UV-radiation-induced damage, while the data for 800-1064 nm fall on a line that has a different slope. The change in the slope between 320 and 340 nm observed earlier is consistent with a well-known change in DNA-damaging mechanisms. The change observed around 780 nm is therefore suggestive of a further change in the mechanism(s). The data from this work together with our previous measurements provide, to the best of our knowledge, the most comprehensive view available of the DNA damage produced by microfocused light.

Stress response in Caenorhabditis elegans caused by optical tweezers: wavelength, power, and time dependence

Optical tweezers have emerged as a powerful technique for micromanipulation of living cells. Although the technique often has been claimed to be nonintrusive, evidence has appeared that this is not always the case. This work presents evidence that near-infrared continuous-wave laser light from optical tweezers can produce stress in Caenorhabditis elegans. A transgenic strain of C. elegans, carrying an integrated heat-shock-responsive reporter gene, has been exposed to laser light under a variety of illumination conditions. It was found that gene expression was most often induced by light of 760 nm, and least by 810 nm. The stress response increased with laser power and irradiation time. At 810 nm, significant gene expression could be observed at 360 mW of illumination, which is more than one order of magnitude above that normally used in optical tweezers. In the 700-760-nm range, the results show that the stress response is caused by photochemical processes, whereas at 810 nm, it mainly has a photothermal origin. These results give further evidence that the 700-760-nm wavelength region is unsuitable for optical tweezers and suggest that work at 810 nm at normal laser powers does not cause stress at the cellular level.

Microinstrument gradient-force optical trap

A micromachined fiber-optic trap is presented. The trap consists of four single-mode, 1064-nm optical intersection. The beam fibers mounted in a micromachined silicon and glass housing. Micromachining provides the necessary precision to align the four optical fibers so that the outputs have a common intersection forms a strong three-dimensional gradient-force trap with trapping forces comparable with that of optical tweezers. Characterization of the multibeam fiber trap is illustrated for capture of polystyrene microspheres, computer simulations of the trap stiffness, and experimental determination of the trapping forces.