Pressure pulse induced-damage in live biological samples

¹ Institute of Shock Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
² National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
³ Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
⁴ Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712, USA

^a e-mail: c.bo10@imperial.ac.uk

Abstract

Developing a cellular and molecular understanding of the nature of traumatic and post-traumatic effects of blast on live biological samples is critical for improving clinical outcomes. To analyze the effects of blast waves upon the cellular structures and the underlying physiological and biochemical changes, we have constructed an experimental platform capable of delivering compression waves, of amplitudes relevant to blast, to cell suspensions in a contained environment. Initial characterization of the system shows that cell cultures can be subjected to high-intensity compression waves up to 15 MPa in pressure and duration of 80 ± 10μs. Studies of mouse mesenchymal stem cells subjected to two different pressure impulses were analysed by cell counting, cell viability assays and microscopic evaluation: the experiments present evidence suggestive of increased levels of damage and loss of cellular integrity compared to uncompressed cell cultures.