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Investigation of quantitative structural changes in astrocyte cells after laser-induced shockwave
Pegah Pouladian1, Janelle Ho1, Nicolas Perez1
1University of California Irvine, Beckman Laser Institute, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Irvine, California, United States.
Significance:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) arises from external forces impacting the brain, leading to outcomes that range from mild to severe. Despite continuous scientific advancements, TBI remains a significant cause of physical impairment and mortality. In recent years, blast-induced TBI (bTBI) has become more prominent due to the use of explosive devices, necessitating accurate models to simulate and study the effects of shockwaves on brain tissue. To better understand bTBI at the cellular level, various models have been proposed. Laser-induced shockwaves (LISs) have emerged as an effective method to simulate bTBI in a controlled environment by generating shockwaves through pulsed laser-induced plasma formation.
Aim:
We introduce a cost-efficient method to investigate cellular morphology changes in response to mechanical stress by combining LIS and quantitative phase microscopy (QPM).
Approach:
QPM, a label-free imaging technique, facilitates quantitative visualization of cellular dynamics. The integration of LIS and QPM enabled the precise assessment of type 1 astrocyte cells under shear stress, revealing both immediate and sustained morphological changes.
Results:
Key findings include significant alterations in some morphological features such as surface area to volume ratio ( ) immediately post-LIS, which returned to baseline within 2 h, and lasting changes in features such as circularity ( ), suggesting prolonged cellular adaptation. These insights provide a deeper understanding of how mechanical stimuli affect astrocyte morphology, offering potential pathways for targeted therapeutic strategies in TBI and related neurological disorders.
Conclusions:
The integrated QPM-LIS approach serves as a powerful tool for studying quantitative cellular dynamics, opening the door to further investigations of astrocyte and other brain cell morphologies in response to mechanical forces, with broad implications for neurological research and therapy development.
