title: Mechanisms of nanoparticle-mediated photomechanical cell damage.
abstract: Laser-assisted killing of gold nanoparticle targeted macrophages was investigated. Using pressure transient detection, flash photography and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, we studied the mechanism of single cell damage by vapor bubble formation around gold nanospheres induced by nanosecond laser pulses. The influence of the number of irradiating laser pulses and of particle size and concentration on the threshold for acute cell damage was determined. While the single pulse damage threshold is independent of the particle size, the threshold decreases with increasing particle size when using trains of pulses. The dependence of the cell damage threshold on the nanoparticle concentration during incubation reveals that particle accumulation and distribution inside the cell plays a key role in tissue imaging or cell damaging.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitz
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Preisser
authors.forename: Antoinette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wetterwald
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rothen-Rutishauser
authors.forename: George N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Thalmann
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brandenberger
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frenz