Thermal effects in IR-laser-irradiated living cells

Irradiation of cell-layers with focussed 2.8 μm ir-laser allows to control the cell temperature from room temperature up to 100°C. Temperatures were calculated for a cell culture model and verified experimentally by thermal mapping the cell-surrounding medium by means of thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC). Irradiation power and time were varied and associated biological effects like necrosis and apoptosis were observed with respect to the irradiation dosis.