Study of Brain Cells in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Raman Microspectroscopy and Scanning Ion-Conductance Microscopy
K I Morozova1, E Yu Parshina2, T A Kazakova3
1Junior Researcher, Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biology; Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1 Leninskiye Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
Sovremennye Tekhnologii V Meditsine
|March 12, 2025
Summary
Researchers identified key molecular and morphological differences in brain cells from Parkinson
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with complex pathogenesis.
- Understanding cellular and molecular changes in PD is crucial for developing effective treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate structural and molecular differences in neurons and astrocytes from healthy donors and PD patients.
- To explore the functional state of cells using advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques.
Main Methods:
- Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from healthy donors and hereditary PD patients were differentiated into rat brain neurons and astrocytes.
- Raman microspectroscopy (RMS), surface-enhanced Raman microspectroscopy (SERMS), and scanning ion-conductance microscopy (SICM) were employed.
Main Results:
- RMS and SERMS revealed distinct molecular signatures, indicating altered protein and cytochrome content in PD astrocytes.
- SICM demonstrated significantly enlarged astrocyte processes in hereditary PD cells compared to healthy controls.
- These techniques allowed for the study of molecular distribution and conformation in both healthy and diseased states.
Conclusions:
- The developed multimodal approach enables the diagnosis of cellular functional states and investigation of PD pathogenesis mechanisms.
- Findings highlight specific molecular and morphological alterations in astrocytes associated with hereditary Parkinson's disease.
