Optimization of sphingosylphosphorylcholine concentration for detection of cytoskeletal changes in malignant pancreatic cells using high-frequency ultrasound

The biomechanical properties of cells can be greatly influenced by modifications of the cytoskeleton of the cell. Cytoskeletal modifications can often be linked to disease and disease pathways. Cancer metastasis has been previously associated with the cytoskeletal modifications that are induced by the addition of sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) to panc-1 cells. SPC is a bioactive lipid that reorganizes keratin filaments in the cytoskeleton into a perinuclear shape that enables cell mobility. The maximum effect of SPC on the keratin reorganization has been previously observed as being concentration dependent, with 5-10μM concentration being optimal as observed through keratin immunostaining. In this work, high frequency ultrasound was used to observe the SPC induced keratin reorganization through an ultrasound signature. Ultrasound measurements were obtained using 10μM SPC and ~17μM SPC concentrations. Significant time-dependent changes in the ultrasound measurements were observed in the higher concentration of SPC as compared to control cell cultures that were not treated with SPC. In contrast, the lower concentration of SPC did not show visible changes in the ultrasound measurements taken. Future work will include optimizing a more specific concentration of SPC for observing changes in the ultrasound measurements taken of panc-1 cells.