Volume 14, Issue 10 e202100125
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Quantitative phase microscopy monitors subcellular dynamics in single cells exposed to nanosecond pulsed electric fields

Zachary A. Steelman

Corresponding Author

Zachary A. Steelman

National Research Council Research Associateship Program, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Correspondence

Zachary A. Steelman, Air Force Research Laboratory, San Antonio, TX, USA.

Email: [email protected]

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Zachary N. Coker

Zachary N. Coker

Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

SAIC, San Antonio, Texas, USA

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Allen Kiester

Allen Kiester

711th Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate, Bioeffects Division, JBSA Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, USA

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Gary Noojin

Gary Noojin

SAIC, San Antonio, Texas, USA

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Bennett L. Ibey

Bennett L. Ibey

711th Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate, Bioeffects Division, JBSA Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, USA

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Joel N. Bixler

Joel N. Bixler

711th Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate, Bioeffects Division, JBSA Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, USA

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First published: 21 July 2021
Citations: 2

Funding information: Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Grant/Award Numbers: 17RHCOR483, 20RHCOR051; Air Force Research Laboratory, Grant/Award Number: FA8650-C-6024; Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Grant/Award Number: DE-SC0014664

Abstract

A substantial body of literature exists to study the dynamics of single cells exposed to short duration (<1 μs), high peak power (~1 MV/m) transient electric fields. Much of this research is limited to traditional fluorescence-based microscopy techniques, which introduce exogenous agents to the culture and are only sensitive to a single molecular target. Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is a coherent imaging modality which uses optical path length as a label-free contrast mechanism, and has proven highly effective for the study of single-cell dynamics. In this work, we introduce QPI as a useful imaging tool for the study of cells undergoing cytoskeletal remodeling after nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) exposure. In particular, we use cell swelling, dry mass and disorder strength measurements derived from QPI phase images to monitor the cellular response to nsPEFs. We hope this demonstration of QPI's utility will lead to a further adoption of the technique for the study of directed energy bioeffects.image

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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