Assessment of Therapeutic Ultrasound Effect on Cell Viability, Osmotic Integrity, and Dielectric Behavior

Abstract

U LTRASOUND is relatively available, simple, and energy saving sound wave. Hence it became anemerging technology for many biomedical applications. Low energy (low power, low intensity (>100kHz, 1 W/cm 2 ) ultrasoundisusedformonitoringthecompositionand physicochemical properties.On the other hand, High energy(high power, high-intensity,≤ 500 kHz ) ultrasound may induce mechanical, physical, and chemical/biochemical changes through cavitation that is potentially compromising cell viability.The goal of this work to investigate the potential effect of using therapeutic ultrasound on the membrane viability and integrality of biological cell sample. Red blood cells (RBCs) were our choice to examine the cell viability under the therapeutic intensity range of 0.5 -3 W/cm 2 . Trypan blue dye exclusion test was to determine the integrity of the cellular membrane. Cell membrane osmotic fragility of (RBCs) was measured under series of saline solution osmotic pressure. The electrical signature of (RBCs) was correlated before and after ultrasound irradiation. The results showed no significant alteration in (RBCs) integrity and electrical behavior under the US irradiation intensity range. As a result, using the therapeutic US of intensity range of 0.5 -3 W/cm 2 , showed no significant harmful effect on RBCS integrity and viability under current experimental conditions.