Bubble-cell interactions with laser-activated polymeric microcapsules

Polymeric microcapsules that are made light-absorbing by the addition of a dye in their shell can generate cavitation microbubbles with spatiotemporal control when irradiated by a pulsed laser. These particles less than 3 $\mu $m in size can circulate through the body, bind to tissues and are expected to be readily detected, even if a single cavitation bubble is produced. In this paper, we study the impact of such cavitation bubbles on a cell monolayer and quantify it in terms of cell poration and cell viability. Two capsules formulations were used; the first one encapsulates a low boiling point oil and induced less cell damage than the second that was loaded with a high boiling point oil. We also report the generation of stable bubbles by the first capsule formulation that completely absorb the cells in their close vicinity.