Diffusion kinetics and perfusion times in tissue models obtained by bioorthogonal Raman μ-spectroscopy

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Biology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Compound penetration into cell aggregates is crucial for applications like drug screening and cryopreservation.
• Penetration kinetics vary significantly based on compound, tissue, and aggregate properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce bioorthogonal Raman microspectroscopy for contactless investigation of compound penetration into tissue models.
• To quantitatively analyze diffusion coefficients and perfusion times of small molecules in cell aggregates.

Main Methods:

• Utilized bioorthogonal Raman microspectroscopy for contactless analysis.
• Applied a diffusion model for spherical bodies to analyze spectroscopic data.
• Investigated radial perfusion of neural stem cell spheroids with dimethyl sulfoxide.

Main Results:

• Successfully measured perfusion times for sub-millimeter neural stem cell spheroids.
• Reported novel findings on the dependence of diffusion coefficients on spheroid size.
• Demonstrated the capability of the technique for quantitative analysis of compound penetration.

Conclusions:

• Bioorthogonal Raman microspectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying compound penetration in 3D cell models.
• The study provides quantitative insights into cryoprotective agent diffusion in neural spheroids.
• Findings contribute to optimizing drug delivery and cryopreservation strategies for tissue engineering.