Alterations of filopodia by near infrared photoimmunotherapy: evaluation with 3D low-coherent quantitative phase microscopy

Filopodia are highly organized cellular membrane structures that facilitate intercellular communication. Near infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a newly developed cancer treatment that causes necrotic cell death. Three-dimensional low-coherent quantitative phase microscopy (3D LC-QPM) is based on a newly established low-coherent interference microscope designed to obtain serial topographic images of the cellular membrane. Herein, we report rapid involution of filopodia after NIR-PIT using 3D LC-QPM. For 3T3/HER2 cells, the number of filopodia decreased immediately after treatment with significant differences. Volume and relative height of 3T3/HER2 cells increased immediately after NIR light exposure, but significant differences were not observed. Thus, disappearance of filopodia, evaluated by 3D LC-QPM, is an early indicator of cell membrane damage after NIR-PIT.