Investigation of terahertz radiation influence on rat glial cells

Mariia Borovkova; Maria Serebriakova; Viacheslav Fedorov; Egor Sedykh; Vladimir Vaks; Alexander Lichutin; Alina Salnikova; Mikhail Khodzitsky

doi:10.1364/BOE.8.000273

Investigation of terahertz radiation influence on rat glial cells

Biomed Opt Express. 2016 Dec 14;8(1):273-280. doi: 10.1364/BOE.8.000273. eCollection 2017 Jan 1.

Authors

Mariia Borovkova¹, Maria Serebriakova², Viacheslav Fedorov³, Egor Sedykh¹, Vladimir Vaks⁴, Alexander Lichutin¹, Alina Salnikova¹, Mikhail Khodzitsky¹

Affiliations

¹ Terahertz Biomedicine Laboratory, Photonics and Optical Information Department, ITMO University, 49 Kronverksky Ave, St. Petersburg 197101, Russia.
² Terahertz Biomedicine Laboratory, Photonics and Optical Information Department, ITMO University, 49 Kronverksky Ave, St. Petersburg 197101, Russia; Immunology Department, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 12 Acad. Pavlov Str., St. Petersburg 197376, Russia.
³ Terahertz Biomedicine Laboratory, Photonics and Optical Information Department, ITMO University, 49 Kronverksky Ave, St. Petersburg 197101, Russia; Institute of Laser Physics, 13/3 Lavrentyeva Ave, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
⁴ Terahertz Biomedicine Laboratory, Photonics and Optical Information Department, ITMO University, 49 Kronverksky Ave, St. Petersburg 197101, Russia; Institute for Physics of Microstructures of the Russian Academy of Science, GSP-105, Nizhny Novgorod 603950, Russia.

Abstract

We studied an influence of continuous terahertz (THz) radiation (0.12 - 0.18 THz, average power density of 3.2 mW/cm²) on a rat glial cell line. A dose-dependent cytotoxic effect of THz radiation is demonstrated. After 1 minute of THz radiation exposure a relative number of apoptotic cells increased in 1.5 times, after 3 minutes it doubled. This result confirms the concept of biological hazard of intense THz radiation. Diagnostic applications of THz radiation can be restricted by the radiation power density and exposure time.

Keywords: (170.0170) Medical optics and biotechnology; (170.3660) Light propagation in tissues.