Light-tunable optical cell manipulation via photoactive azobenzene-containing thin film bio-substrate

TL;DR

This paper explores the use of azobenzene-containing photoactive bio-substrates to enable light-controlled mechanical stimulation of cells, facilitating real-time biomechanical studies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of photoactive azobenzene films for optically manipulating cellular environments in vivo.

Findings

Cells exhibit morphological changes upon illumination.

Photomechanical substrates induce area shrinkage in cells.

The method enables real-time mechanical stimulation of cells.

Abstract

In-vivo, real-time study of the local and collective cellular biomechanical responses requires the fine and selective manipulation of the cellular environment. One innovative pathway is the use of photoactive bio-substrates such as azobenzene-containing materials, which exhibit spectacular photomechanical properties, to optically trigger the local, mechanical stimulation of cells. Excited cells exhibit spectacular morphological modifications and area shrinkage, which are dependent on the illumination. This demonstrates the capabilities of photomechanically active substrates to study the phenomena resulting from the mechanical interaction of cells with their environment.