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Effects of High-power Green Laser Radiation on Cells in Tissue Culture

Abstract

THE availability of high-power, coherent radiation at new wave-lengths, by means of non-linear optics, has made possible new experiments in the field of radiation effects on cells in tissue culture. It has been shown1,2, by exposure of melanin granules to ruby radiation at 6943 Å and its harmonic at 3471 Å, that injury sustained by cells in tissue culture is strongly dependent on wave-length. This confirmed the observations by Bessis et al.3 that erythrocytes were destroyed by ruby laser radiation while unstained leucocytes were not affected. Because particular cellular constituents such as pigment granules, haemoglobin and reduced cytochromes b and c show absorption at 5300 Å, there was great interest in exploring the radiation effects from the second harmonic output at 5300 Å of neodymium (Nd) Q-switched lasers. In the work reported here, a variety of cell types were irradiated with power density at this wave-length in the range of 0.05–100 MW/cm2 to observe their response.

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References

  1. Rounds, D. E., Chamberlain, E. C., and Okigaki, T., Ann. N.Y. Acad Sci. (in the press).

  2. Rounds, D. E., Fed. Proc. (in the press).

  3. Bessis, M., Gires, F., Mayer, G., and Nomarski, G., C.R. Acad. Sci., Paris, 255, 1010 (1962).

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  4. Rounds, D. E., Tissue Culture Assoc. Abstr., Fourteenth Annual Meeting, Boston, Mass, 37 (May 27–31, 1963).

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JOHNSON, F., OLSON, R. & ROUNDS, D. Effects of High-power Green Laser Radiation on Cells in Tissue Culture. Nature 205, 721–722 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/205721a0

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