Mechanism of oxidative stress generation in cells by localized near-infrared femtosecond laser excitation

We examined the effect of femtosecond (fs) and continuous wave (CW) lasers at near-infrared range on the creation of reactive oxygen species in a human liver cancer cell line. By controlling the mitochondria electron transport chain (ETC), it was found that a major part of the oxidative stress was generated by the laser induced thermal effect on the mitochondria while the remaining part was created by direct free electron liberation by the fs pulses, which could be observed after breaking the ETC. The study helps clarify the major effects produced on animal cells when excited by fs lasers. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3273373]