title: Minimally invasive molecular delivery into the brain using optical modulation of vascular permeability.
abstract: Systemic delivery of bioactive molecules in the CNS is hampered by the blood-brain barrier, which has bottlenecked noninvasive physiological study of the brain and the development of CNS drugs. Here we report that irradiation with an ultrashort pulsed laser to the blood vessel wall induces transient leakage of blood plasma without compromising vascular integrity. By combining this method with a systemic injection, we delivered target molecules in various tissues, including the brain cortex. This tool allows minimally invasive local delivery of chemical probes, nanoparticles, and viral vectors into the brain cortex. Furthermore, we demonstrated astrocyte-mediated vasodilation in vivo without opening the skull, using this method to load a calcium indicator in conjunction with label-free photoactivation of astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KI for the BioCentury, and Optical BioImaging Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 305-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Myunghwan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Taeyun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ku
authors.forename: Kyuha
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Jonghee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Chulhee
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000494:pharmacology; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D010539:Permeability; D010777:Photochemistry / Q000379:methods; D017785:Photons
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D002118:Calcium