Optical modulation of smooth muscle cell contraction

Abstract

Even though electrical stimulation is generally used for induction of smooth muscle cell contraction, it is very hard to obtain fine control and also very invasive for inserting electrodes. Herein, we developed a new optical technology to control smooth muscle cell contraction. This optical method using femtosecond pulsed laser (FSPL) has advantage of focused stimulation and fine control of stimulation intensity. Upon brief exposure to FSPL, smooth muscle cells showed a rapid increase of intracellular calcium levels followed by cell contraction. Collectively, we suggest that FSPL can be a useful tool for control of smooth muscle cell contraction. © 2010 Copyright SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering.