title: New ways of imaging uptake and intracellular fate of liposomal drug carrier systems inside individual cells, based on Raman microscopy.
abstract: Recent developments, combining Raman spectroscopy with optical microscopy, provide a new noninvasive technique to assess and image cellular processes. Of particular interest are the uptake mechanisms of various cytologically active compounds. In order to distinguish the species of interest from their cellular environment spectroscopically, compounds may be labeled with deuterium. Here, we apply Raman microspectroscopy to follow the uptake of liposomal drug carrier systems that have been introduced to deliver biologically active compounds to their site of action within human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells. The distribution patterns of liposomes and liposomes surface-modified with a cell-penetrating peptide (TAT-peptide, TATp) have been imaged over time. The spectroscopic information obtained provides a clear evidence for variable rates, as well as different efficiencies of liposome uptake depending on their surface properties. Depending on the experimental setup, the technique may be applied to fixed or living cell organisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massacusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matthäus
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kale
authors.forename: Tatyana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chernenko
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Torchilin
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diem
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008081:Liposomes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008853:Microscopy
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes