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Localization and Relative Quantification of Carbon Nanotubes in Cells with Multispectral Imaging Flow Cytometry
Published on: December 12, 2013
Simultaneous quantification of cells and nanomaterials by inductive-coupled plasma techniques
Alexandre Albanese1, Kim M Tsoi, Warren C W Chan
1Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Journal of Laboratory Automation
|August 31, 2012
Summary
Cellular magnesium levels accurately determine cell counts for nanoparticle research. This method enhances throughput and reproducibility in nanoparticle uptake studies without affecting intracellular magnesium concentrations.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Accurate cell counting is crucial for quantitative biological assays, particularly in nanoparticle uptake studies.
- Traditional cell counting methods can be time-consuming and introduce variability.
- Existing methods lack a reliable internal control for cell number normalization in nanoparticle research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish endogenous cellular magnesium (Mg) levels as a reliable proxy for total cell number.
- To validate this method for improving the throughput and reproducibility of nanoparticle-uptake studies.
- To assess the impact of nanoparticle uptake on intracellular Mg concentrations.
Main Methods:
- Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) techniques were employed to measure endogenous cellular magnesium levels.
- Gold nanoparticles and quantum dots were used to study nanoparticle uptake in cells.
- Nano-urchins and gold nanospheres were compared for their uptake in A549 cells.
Main Results:
- Endogenous cellular magnesium levels were found to be an accurate determinant of total cell number.
- Uptake of gold nanoparticles or quantum dots did not alter intracellular Mg concentrations.
- A549 cells exhibited decreased uptake of nano-urchins compared to gold nanospheres.
Conclusions:
- Measuring endogenous cellular magnesium via ICP techniques offers a robust and reproducible method for cell number determination.
- This approach significantly enhances the efficiency of nanoparticle-uptake studies.
- Cellular magnesium serves as a reliable internal standard, unaffected by nanoparticle internalization.
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