Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy for Nanoparticle-Cell Interaction and Protein Localization.

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Imaging
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Silica-based fluorescent nanoparticles (Si-FNP) are valuable tools in biomedicine.
• Their properties like solubility and biocompatibility make them suitable for cellular imaging.
• Magnetic variants (Si-FMNP) offer advanced imaging and drug delivery potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a detailed procedure for imaging Si-FMNP at the single-particle scale within cells.
• To enable high-resolution visualization of nanoparticle behavior in biological systems.
• To facilitate the study of nanoparticle-cell interactions and drug delivery efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Development of a protocol for imaging silica-based fluorescent magnetic core-shell nanoparticles (Si-FMNP).
• Application of the method to visualize nanoparticles in cultured cells after electroporation.
• Utilizing advanced microscopy techniques for single-particle scale analysis.

Main Results:

• Successful imaging of Si-FMNP at the single-particle level within cellular environments.
• Acquisition of data on extracellular and intercellular nanoparticle distribution.
• Detailed observation of nanoparticle interactions with cellular organelles.

Conclusions:

• The presented method provides novel insights into nanoparticle-cell interactions.
• This imaging technique is crucial for evaluating nanocarrier efficacy in drug delivery.
• The procedure supports detailed analysis for advanced biomedical applications.