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Updated: May 29, 2026
In Situ Detection and Single Cell Quantification of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Using Nuclear Microprobe Analysis
Published on: February 3, 2018
Quantification of nanoparticle uptake by cells using an unbiased sampling method and electron microscopy
Andreas Elsaesser1, Clifford A Barnes, George McKerr
1Nano Systems Biology Group, Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Ulster, UK.
Aims:
By randomly sampling a known fraction of a pellet of cultured cells, we have accurately estimated the mean number of 50 nm gold nanoparticles accumulated within a single cell. Cellular nanoparticle uptake was measured using a combination of stereological sampling techniques and transmission electron microscopy.
Materials & Methods:
Nanoparticles were counted individually and their intracellular location was recorded. Quantifying cell and nanoparticle number by analyzing a known fraction of the sample led to precise estimates of intracellular nanoparticle numbers and their spatial locations on an ultrastructural level. We propose a simple and reliable fractionator design and show its applicability and potential using fibroblast cells exposed to 50-nm gold nanoparticles.
Results & Conclusion:
We demonstrate that this approach is suitable for any electron-dense nanomaterial resolvable by electron microscopy and any convex-shaped cells. In addition, the fractionator concept is flexible enough to be used for spatio-temporal or in vivo studies.
