Photofunctional Nanomodulators for Bioexcitation

Abstract

A single organism comprises diverse types of cells. To acquire a detailed understanding of the biological functions of each cell, comprehensive control and analysis of homeostatic processes at the single-cell level are required. In this study, we develop a new type of light-driven nanomodulator comprising dye-functionalized carbon nanohorns (CNHs) that generate heat and reactive oxygen species under biologically transparent near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation. By exploiting the physicochemical properties of the nanohorns, cellular calcium ion flux and membrane currents were successfully controlled at the single-cell level. In addition, the nanomodulator allows a remote bioexcitation of tissues during NIR laser exposure making this system a powerful tool for single-cell analyses and innovative cell therapies.

Photocatalytic Activity of Polymer Nanoparticles Modulates Intracellular Calcium Dynamics and Reactive Oxygen Species in HEK-293 Cells

“…Among carbon-based materials, carbon nanotubes, graphene and polymer nano-bioconjugates can also sustain photo-thermal stimulation (Miyako et al, 2014; Chechetka et al, 2016; Lyu et al, 2016; Li et al, 2017). Yet, there is a fundamental difference to be taken into account when comparing those systems with our P3HT NPs: for both inorganic- and organic-based systems reported so far, NIR-mediated photo-thermal heating is the main phenomenon, indirectly leading to ROS enhancement.…”

“…Several attempts have been reported to modulate Ca 2+ by external mediators, for instance by using magnetic NPs (Huang et al, 2010; Stanley et al, 2012; Bar-Shir et al, 2014; Lee et al, 2014; Chen et al, 2015; Wheeler et al, 2016), metallic NPs (Nakatsuji et al, 2015), organic molecules and polymers (Stein et al, 2013; Lyu et al, 2016; Takano et al, 2016) and other carbon-based materials (Miyako et al, 2014; Chechetka et al, 2016). …”

Directional Bleb Formation in Spherical Cells under Temperature Gradient

“…To the best of our knowledge, such a steep temperature gradient has not been observed in a human body. On the other hand, local heating techniques attract attentions as novel noninvasive methods for regulating cell functions (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). Furthermore, in advanced thermal therapies of tumor tissues, magnetic or gold nanoparticles are currently used as heat sources in clinical trials (53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59).…”

“…This thermosensing function of ion channels is used to remotely control neural activity with radiofrequency magnetic field local heating (6,7). Local heating itself can also induce local gene expression (8), membrane depolarization (9,10), and muscle contraction (11)(12)(13). These local heating techniques have a strong potential for the spatial control of cell functions.…”

Physicochemically functionalized carbon nanohorns for multi-dimensional cancer elimination

“…Recently, we discovered that the NIR laser-induced photothermal properties and ferromagnetic characteristics of functional CNHs enable them to efficiently target and eliminate cancer cells [13]. Nanocarbon materials can be generated such that they simultaneously exhibit multiple applications, including selective targeting [14], exothermic effects [15,16], controlled release of drugs [17,18], photodynamic therapy [19], and bioimaging [20], which are advantageous for the development of future innovative cancer treatments. However, studies of the physical and chemical functionalization of nanocarbon materials are not themselves sufficient for achieving these applications in situ.…”