Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors for the rapid, sensitive detection of the cellular response to osmotic stress

Cells regulate their volume in response to changes in osmolarity of both, their extracellular and intracellular environments. As stability of the cell volume is a compelling exigency for cellular integrity, techniques for a sensitive, time-resolved volume measurement of adherently grown mammalian cells attract considerable interest, especially in the field of cell physiology and biology. In this study we apply a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based biosensor for the comparative analysis of the volume responses of two renal epithelial cell types to non-isotonic challenges. The on-line, label-free and non-invasive biosensor format shows distinct similarities and differences in the reaction kinetics of the two cell types. Furthermore regulatory volume responses to the osmotic stimuli as well as their inhibition by Gd3+ ions can be observed with a high time-resolution. Limit-of-detection measurements indicate the high sensitivity of the sensor capable of detecting cellular volume responses of adherently grown mammalian cells to osmotic stimuli well below a bioanalytical relevant value of 5 mOsm/kg.