TY - JOUR A1 - Kneipp, Janina A1 - Kneipp, H. A1 - Wittig, B. A1 - Kneipp, K. T1 - Novel optical nanosensors for probing and imaging live cells JF - Nanomedicine / Nanotechnology, biology and medicine N2 - This review introduces multifunctional optical nanosensors based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and demonstrates their application in live cells. The novel nanosensors have the potential to improve our understanding of cellular processes on the molecular level. The hybrid sensor consists of gold or silver nanoparticles with an attached reporter species. The sensor can be detected and imaged based on the SERS signature of the reporter. This results in several advantages, such as high spectral specificity, multiplex capabilities, improved contrast, and photostability. SERS sensors not only highlight cellular structures, based on enhanced Raman spectra of intrinsic cellular molecules measured in the local optical fields of the gold nanoparticles, they also provide molecular structural information on their cellular environment. Moreover, the SERS signature of the reporter can deliver information on the local pH value inside a cell at subendosomal resolution. SERS sensors are suitable for one- and two-photon excitation. KW - Cells KW - Optical nanosensors KW - Nano gold KW - Spectroscopy KW - SERS KW - ph probing PY - 2010 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2009.07.009 SN - 1549-9634 SN - 1549-9642 VL - 6 IS - 2 SP - 214 EP - 226 PB - Elsevier CY - New York AN - OPUS4-23943 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -