title: Surface plasmon-based infrared spectroscopy for cell biosensing.
abstract: Cell morphology is often used as a valuable indicator of the physical condition and general status of living cells. We demonstrate a noninvasive method for morphological characterization of adherent cells. We measure infrared reflectivity spectrum at oblique angle from living cells cultured on thin Au film, and utilize the unique properties of the confined infrared waves (i.e., surface plasmon and guided modes) traveling inside the cell layer. The propagation of these waves strongly depends on cell morphology and connectivity. By tracking the resonant wavelength and attenuation of the surface plasmon and guided modes we measure the kinetics of various cellular processes such as (i) cell attachment and spreading on different substrata, (ii) modulation of the outer cell membrane with chlorpromazine, and (iii) formation of intercellular junctions associated with progressive cell polarization. Our method enables monitoring of submicron variations in cell layer morphology in real-time, and in the label-free manner.
authors.affiliation: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Racah Institute of Physics, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel. victor.yashunsky@mail.huji.ac.il
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yashunsky
authors.forename: Vladislav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lirtsman
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zilbershtein
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bein
authors.forename: Betty
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aroeti
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Golosovsky
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Davidov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000502:physiology*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D048429:Cell Size; D004285:Dogs; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D061985:Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation*