Intense nano-pulse stimulation-induced dynamic changes in vesicle trafficking visualized by super-resolution fluorescence microscopy

Abstract

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) has revolutionized biomedical research by providing valuable information at the nanometer-scale within cells. Recent advances in SRFM enable researchers to probe dynamic processes in living cells with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. Vesicle trafficking plays a critical role in tumor proliferation and invasion. Understanding the dynamics of vesicle trafficking in cancer cells is essential for cancer therapy. This study visualized and quantified changes in vesicle trafficking dynamics in cancer cells induced by intense nano-pulse stimulation (NPS) using SRFM. As an emerging physical modality for cancer therapy, it remains unknown whether and how NPS affects vesicle trafficking during its interaction with cancer cells. Our results indicate that NPS decreases the number, velocity, and track length of vesicles while significantly increasing the average size of vesicles. Notably, vesicle trafficking between cancer cells and normal human lung bronchial epithelial cells was also inhibited. This study provides experimental evidence that NPS directly affects vesicle trafficking. Furthermore, the results of this study may shed light on a better understanding of the mechanism by which NPS inhibits cancer invasion and metastasis. Finally, this work provides a potential physical method to regulate vesicle transport.