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Quantifying spectral changes experienced by plasmonic nanoparticles in a cellular environment to inform biomedical
Allen L Chen1, Ying S Hu2, Meredith A Jackson1
1Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
Nanoscale Research Letters
|September 27, 2014
Summary
Metal nanoparticles (NPs) change optical properties when inside cells. This study quantifies spectral shifts and broadening in gold NPs within cellular environments, crucial for designing nanomedicine applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Nanotechnology
- Plasmonics
- Cellular Interactions
Background:
- Metal nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit tunable optical properties for biomedical uses.
- Cellular environments can alter NP physicochemical properties, affecting their plasmonic behavior.
- Understanding these changes is vital for developing NP-based therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically quantify optical spectral changes in gold NPs within a cellular environment.
- To investigate how NP agglomeration within endosomal vesicles impacts plasmonic properties.
- To provide data for designing NPs for plasmonic biomedical technologies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized darkfield hyperspectral imaging to analyze 100-nm spherical gold NPs.
- Measured spectral shifts, broadening, and distribution in NPs within human breast adenocarcinoma cells (Sk-Br-3).
- Employed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electromagnetic simulations for intracellular NP clusters (NPCs).
Main Results:
- Observed significant spectral shifts (up to 78.6 nm) and broadening (up to 105.9 nm) in NPs after 24 hours.
- Demonstrated spectral heterogeneity at both cellular and individual NPC levels.
- Corroborated spectral changes with TEM imaging and simulations.
Conclusions:
- Cellular internalization and agglomeration significantly alter gold NP plasmonic spectra.
- Quantitative data elucidate NP optical behavior in vivo.
- Findings guide the rational design of NPs for plasmonic biomedical applications.
