Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Nanotechnology. 2013 Nov 22;24(46):465101. doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/24/46/465101. Epub 2013 Oct 22.
Photoacoustic imaging, a promising new diagnostic medical imaging modality, can provide high contrast images of molecular features by introducing highly-absorbing plasmonic nanoparticles. Currently, it is uncertain whether the absorption of low fluence pulsed light by plasmonic nanoparticles could lead to cellular damage. In our studies we have shown that low fluence pulsed laser excitation of accumulated nanoparticles at low concentration does not impact cell growth and viability, while we identify thresholds at which higher nanoparticle concentrations and fluences produce clear evidence of cell death. The results provide insights for improved design of photoacoustic contrast agents and for applications in combined imaging and therapy.
光声成像是一种有前途的新型医学诊断成像方式，可以通过引入高吸收等离子体纳米粒子提供分子特征的高对比度图像。目前，尚不确定等离子体纳米粒子对低强度脉冲光的吸收是否会导致细胞损伤。在我们的研究中，我们已经表明，低浓度累积纳米粒子的低强度脉冲激光激发不会影响细胞生长和活力，而在更高的纳米粒子浓度和强度下，会产生明确的细胞死亡证据。这些结果为改进光声对比剂的设计以及在联合成像和治疗中的应用提供了思路。
