R Ikink | PubMed Health

PubMed2003

Shock-wave-induced jetting of micron-size bubbles.

Free gas bubbles in water with radii between 7 and 55 microm subjected to a shock wave exhibit a liquid jetting phenomenon with the jet pointing in the direction of the propagating shock wave. With increasing bubble radius, the length of the jet tip increases and a lower estimate of the averaged jet velocity increases linearly from 20 to 150 m/s. At a later stage, the jet breaks up and releases micron-size bubbles. In the course of shock wave permeabilization and transfection of biological cells, this observation suggests a microinjection mechanism when the cells are near bubbles exposed to a shock wave.

Cell Membrane↗

PubMed2003

Cell detachment method using shock-wave-induced cavitation.

The detachment of adherent HeLa cells from a substrate after the interaction with a shock wave is analyzed. Cavitation bubbles are formed in the trailing, negative pressure cycle following the shock front. We find that the regions of cell detachment are strongly correlated with spatial presence of cavitation bubbles. It is shown that the cavitation bubble collapse generates a transient high-speed flow along the substrate surface leading to rapid detachment of the cells. Flow trajectories are reconstructed from the video recordings using robust image-processing methods. From these trajectories, an estimate of the shear stress acting on the cells is obtained and the area of detachment is estimated with a kinetic model. Furthermore, it is suggested that the application of shock waves extends the known methods of cell detachment with the ability to control the process in space and time.

Cell Adhesion↗