Precise dissection of cells with ultrashort laser pulses requires a clear understanding of how the onset and extent of ablation (i.e., the removal of material) depends on pulse energy. We carried out a systematic study of the energy dependence of the plasma-mediated ablation of fluorescently-labeled subcellular structures in the cytoskeleton and nuclei of fixed endothelial cells using femtosecond, near-infrared laser pulses focused through a high-numerical aperture objective lens (1.4 NA). We find that the energy threshold for photobleaching lies between 0.9 and 1.7 nJ. By comparing the changes in fluorescence with the actual material loss determined by electron microscopy, we find that the threshold for true material ablation is about 20% higher than the photobleaching threshold. This information makes it possible to use the fluorescence to determine the onset of true material ablation without resorting to electron microscopy. We confirm the precision of this technique by severing a single microtubule without disrupting the neighboring microtubules, less than 1 µm away.

Stem cell-based cardiac tissue engineering is a promising approach for regenerative therapy of the injured heart. At present, the small number of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes that can be obtained using current culture and enrichment techniques represents one of the key limitations for the development of functional bioartificial cardiac tissue (BCT). We have addressed this problem by construction of a novel bioreactor with functional features of larger systems that enables the generation and in situ monitoring of miniaturized BCTs. BCTs were generated from rat cardiomyocytes to demonstrate advantages and usefulness of the bioreactor. Tissues showed spontaneous, synchronized contractions with cell orientation along the axis of strain. Cyclic stretch induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, demonstrated by a shift of myosin heavy chain expression from the alpha to beta isoform, together with elevated levels of atrial natriuretic factor. Stretch led to a moderate increase in systolic force (1.42 ± 0.09 mN vs. 0.96 ± 0.09 mN in controls), with significantly higher forces observed after β-adrenergic stimulation with noradrenalin (2.54 ± 0.11 mN). Combined mechanical and β-adrenergic stimulation had no synergistic effect. This study demonstrates for the first time that mechanical stimulation and direct real-time contraction force measurement can be combined into a single multimodal bioreactor system, including electrical stimulation of excitable tissue, perfusion of the culture chamber, and the possibility of (fluorescence) microscopic assessment during continuous cultivation. Thus, this bioreactor represents a valuable tool for monitoring tissue development and, ultimately, the optimization of stem cell-based tissue replacement strategies in regenerative medicine.

Laser based transfection methods have proven to be an efficient and gentle alternative to established molecule delivery methods like lipofection or electroporation. Among the laser based methods, gold nanoparticle mediated laser transfection bears the major advantage of high throughput and easy usability. This approach uses plasmon resonances on gold nanoparticles unspecifically attached to the cell membrane to evoke transient and spatially defined cell membrane permeabilization. In this study, we explore the parameter regime for gold nanoparticle mediated laser transfection for the delivery of molecules into cell lines and prove its suitability for siRNA mediated gene knock down. The developed setup allows easy usage and safe laser operation in a normal lab environment. We applied a 532 nm Nd:YAG microchip laser emitting 850 ps pulses at a repetition rate of 20.25 kHz. Scanning velocities of the laser spot over the sample of up to 200 mm/s were tested without a decline in perforation efficiency. This velocity leads to a process speed of ∼8 s per well of a 96 well plate. The optimal particle density was determined to be ∼6 particles per cell using environmental scanning electron microscopy. Applying the optimized parameters transfection efficiencies of 88% were achieved in canine pleomorphic adenoma ZMTH3 cells using a fluorescent labeled siRNA while maintaining a high cell viability of >90%. Gene knock down of d2-EGFP was demonstrated and validated by fluorescence repression and western blot analysis. On basis of our findings and established mathematical models we suppose a mixed transfection mechanism consisting of thermal and multiphoton near field effects. Our findings emphasize that gold nanoparticle mediated laser transfection provides an excellent tool for molecular delivery for both, high throughput purposes and the transfection of sensitive cells types.