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Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Surface-enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering Nanoprobe Ratiometry for Detecting Microscopic Ovarian Cancer via Folate Receptor Targeting
Published on: March 25, 2019
Studies of silicon nanoparticles uptake and biodegradation in cancer cells by Raman spectroscopy
Elen Tolstik1, Liubov Andreevna Osminkina2, Christian Matthäus1
1Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany; Institute of Physical Chemistry, Abbe Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena Germany.
Abstract:
In-vitro Raman micro-spectroscopy was used for diagnostics of the processes of uptake and biodegradation of porous silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) in breast cancer cells (MCF-7 cell line). Two types of nanoparticles, with and without photoluminescence in the visible spectral range, were investigated. The spatial distribution of photoluminescent SiNPs within the cells obtained by Raman imaging was verified by high-resolution structured-illumination optical microscopy. Nearly complete biodegradation of SiNPs inside the living cells was observed after 13days of the incubation. The results reveal new prospects of multi-modal visualization of SiNPs inside cancer cells for theranostic applications.

