Nanosensor for in vivo measurement of the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene in a single cell

This work describes the fabrication and the application of an antibody-based fiber-optic nanosensor for in situ measurements of the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in a single cell. This antibody-based spectroscopic nanosensor is miniaturized enabling the detection of fluorescent analytes in single cells. In addition to measuring fluorescent analytes in single cells, the nanosensor has the potential to be applied for both diagnostic and proteomics purposes. In this work, the human breast carcinoma cell line, MCF-7, was used as the model system to perform BaP measurements in single cells. A standard concentration curve for BaP was established and used to perform quantitative analyses of BaP in individual cells. From these analyses, it was estimated that the concentration of BaP in the individual cells investigated was approximately 3.61 x 10(-10) M. The results obtained demonstrate the application of antibody-based nanosensors for performing in situ measurements inside a single cell.