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Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was utilized for spatially resolved bioimaging of the distribution of silver and gold nanoparticles in individual fibroblast cells upon different incubation experiments. High spatial resolution was achieved by optimization of scan speed, ablation frequency, and laser energy. Nanoparticles are visualized with respect to cellular substructures and are found to accumulate in the perinuclear region with increasing incubation time. On the basis of matrix-matched calibration, we developed a method for quantification of the number of metal nanoparticles at the single-cell level. The results provide insight into nanoparticle/cell interactions and have implications for the development of analytical methods in tissue diagnostics and therapeutics.
Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a well-established analytical method offering high sensitivity and multi-element analysis. ICP-MS has found acceptance in various application areas ranging from material analysis to applications in the life sciences. Within the last 15 years new strategies for the sensitive detection and accurate quantification of biomolecules in complex biomedical samples have been developed. Recent instrumental improvements have contributed to this progress.
As most of the biomolecules do not contain endogenous metals etectable with ICP-MS, bioconjugation with artificial metal-containing tags based on metal-loaded chelate complexes or nanoparticles is increasingly applied to determine biomolecules indirectly. Especially, the combination of immunohistochemical workflows using lanthanoid-tagged antibodies and ICP-MS detection provides new insights in the complexity and interdependency of cellular processes. Single-cell ICP-MS, also termed as mass cytometry, allows high-dimensional analysis of biomarkers in cell populations at single-cell resolution. For that purpose, lanthanoid isotope labelled antibodies are used to detect their corresponding target molecules. The visualisation of the elemental distribution is possible with laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICPMS) at high spatial resolution. Especially, the combination of LA with ICP time-of-flight mass spectrometry, also referred to as imaging mass cytometry (IMC), opens new possibilities for multiparametric tissue imaging at the single-cell level and even below. The lanthanoid localisation and concentration can be linked to their conjugated antibody target providing valuable information about surface markers, intracellular signalling molecules to measure biological function, and the network state of an individual cell in a tissue.
This book chapter focuses on new applications, where the multi-element capabilities of ICP-MS are used for the detection of lanthanoids applied as artificial elemental stains or tags for biomolecules and in particular antibodies.
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is nowadays a versatile and powerful analytical method for direct solid sample analysis. The applicability has been demonstrated for a wide variety of samples covering hard and soft materials. In an imaging mode the technique provides quantitative information on the elemental distribution within a sample. LA-ICP-MS imaging is of particular interest in biomedical research as the distribution of an element gives valuable insight on uptake and distribution of essential and toxic trace elements, administered contrast agents as well es nanoparticles. LA-ICP-MS is therefore a powerful complement to other imaging techniques. Recent instrumental improvements, especially in sample chamber design, have contributed to better sensitivity and spatial resolution enabling subcellular imaging. The book chapter provides a comprehensive overview about spatially resolved localisation and quantification of various nanoparticles in cells and tissue thin sections by LA-ICP-MS. Furthermore, different sample preparation strategies and internal standardisation and calibration approaches for bioimaging by LA-ICP-MS are summarized and discussed.
Metal-containing nanomaterials are used in numerous fields ranging from industrial applications to nanomedicine. Several studies have demonstrated that the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles have an impact on their pharmacokinetics, transfer and clearance. The high sensitivity and multielement capability of LA-ICP-MS enables the elucidation of interactions between tissue components and nanomaterials used as imaging probes or drug carriers. Potential toxic effects are investigated as well. Thus, LA imaging significantly supports the clinical translation of safe and efficient nanoparticles for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
In recent years, elemental imaging of biological samples using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is gaining in importance. Latest improvements regarding spatial resolution (down to 1 µm) and washout time make LA-ICP-MS particularly interesting for single cell analysis.
Many current nanomaterials can serve as contrast agents in cellular or tissue imaging, drug delivery vehicles or therapeutics, whereas others can cause toxic effects. In order to evaluate nano-bio interactions, the number of nanoparticles (NPs) inside cells as well as their localisation within cellular substructures is of particular interest.
LA-ICP-MS was used to study the NP pathway from uptake, via intracellular processing up to cell division. Fibroblast cells were incubated with different metallic NPs under varying experimental conditions. For LA analysis the cells were fixed with formaldehyde and dried.
Our results show that LA-ICP-MS is able to localise NP aggregates within cellular substructures. The NPs accumulate in the perinuclear region in the course of intracellular processing, e.g. multivesicular fusion and endosomal maturation, but do not enter the nucleus [1, 2]. A strong dependence of NP uptake on concentration and incubation time was found. Additionally, the number of NPs internalized by individual cells was determined and variations within the cell population became visible.
A new laser ablation system providing a short washout time (50 ms) together with small spot sizes (< 4 µm) and high repetition rates allows high spatial resolution applications. First results of cell imaging will be shown.
The findings demonstrate the potential of LA-ICP-MS enabling insight into NP uptake and intracellular distribution dependent on experimental parameters.
Multifunctional composite nanoprobes consisting of iron oxide nanoparticles linked to silver and gold nanoparticles, Ag–Magnetite and Au–Magnetite, respectively, were introduced by endocytic uptake into cultured fibroblast cells. The cells containing the non-toxic nanoprobes were shown to be displaceable in an external magnetic field and can be manipulated in microfluidic channels. The distribution of the composite nanostructures that are contained in the endosomal system is discussed on the basis of surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) mapping, quantitative laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) micromapping, and cryo soft X-ray tomography (cryo soft-XRT). Cryo soft-XRT of intact, vitrified cells reveals that the composite nanoprobes form intra-endosomal aggregates. The nanoprobes provide SERS signals from the biomolecular composition of their surface in the endosomal environment. The SERS data indicate the high stability of the nanoprobes and of their plasmonic properties in the harsh environment of endosomes and lysosomes. The spectra point at the molecular composition at the surface of the Ag–Magnetite and Au–Magnetite nanostructures that is very similar to that of other Composite structures, but different from the composition of pure silver and gold SERS nanoprobes used for intracellular investigations. As shown by the LA-ICP-MS data, the uptake efficiency of the magnetite composites is approximately two to three times higher than that of the pure gold and silver nanoparticles.
In recent years, elemental imaging of biological samples using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is gaining in importance. Recent improvements regarding spatial resolution (down to 1 µm) and washout time make LA-ICP-MS particularly interesting for single cell analysis.
Many current nanomaterials can serve as contrast agents in cellular or tissue imaging, drug delivery vehicles or therapeutics, whereas others can cause toxic effects. In order to evaluate nano-bio interactions, the number of nanoparticles (NPs) inside cells as well as their localisation within cellular substructures is of particular interest.
LA-ICP-MS was used to study the NP pathway from uptake, via intracellular processing up to cell division. Fibroblast cells were incubated with different metallic NPs under varying experimental conditions. For LA analysis the cells were fixed with formaldehyde and dried.
Our results show that LA-ICP-MS is able to localise NP aggregates within cellular substructures. The NPs accumulate in the perinuclear region in the course of intracellular processing, e.g. multivesicular fusion and endosomal maturation, but do not enter the nucleus [1, 2]. A strong dependence of NP uptake on concentration and incubation time was found. Additionally, the number of NPs internalized by individual cells was determined and variations within the cell population became visible.
A new laser ablation system providing a short washout time (50 ms) together with small spot sizes (< 4 µm) and high repetition rates allows high spatial resolution applications. First results of cell imaging will be shown.
The findings demonstrate the potential of LA-ICP-MS providing insight into NP uptake and intracellular distribution dependent on experimental parameters.
The cellular response to nanoparticle exposure is essential in various contexts, especially in nanotoxicity and nanomedicine. Here, 14-nm gold nanoparticles in 3T3 fibroblast cells are investigated in a series of pulse-chase experiments with a 30-min incubation pulse and chase times ranging from 15 min to 48 h. The gold nanoparticles and their aggregates are quantified inside the cellular ultrastructure by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry micromapping and evaluated regarding the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals. In this way, both information about their localization at the micrometre scale and their molecular nanoenvironment, respectively, is obtained and can be related. Thus, the nanoparticle pathway from endocytotic uptake, intracellular processing, to cell division can be followed. It is shown that the ability of the intracellular nanoparticles and their accumulations and aggregates to support high SERS signals is neither directly related to nanoparticle amount nor to high local nanoparticle densities. The SERS data indicate that aggregate geometry and interparticle distances in the cell must change in the course of endosomal maturation and play a critical role for a specific gold nanoparticle type in order to act as efficient SERS nanoprobe. This finding is supported by TEM images, showing only a minor portion of aggregates that present small interparticle spacing. The SERS spectra obtained after different chase times show a changing composition and/or structure of the biomolecule corona of the gold nanoparticles as a consequence of endosomal processing.
The interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with cells has become a major field of interest, ranging from medical applications to nanotoxicology. Size, shape and surface modification of the NPs determine the uptake rate and pathway into the cells, and therefore impact specific cell components and processes.
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is an established quantitative multi-elemental analysis and mapping technique. In recent years, it was shown that LA-ICP-MS can provide quantitative as well as distribution information of NPs in cell samples.
Here LA-ICP-MS was applied for the imaging of individual cells to study the uptake and intracellular processing of metal-containing nanostructures. Additionally, the local distribution of naturally occurring elements in cells like P was measured to indicate cell morphology. The cells were incubated with different types of NPs under varying experimental conditions. For LA analysis, the cells were fixed and dried.
Our findings show, that LA-ICP-MS is suitable for the localisation of nanoparticle aggregates within cellular compartments. The studied NPs accumulate in the perinuclear region in the course of intracellular processing, but do not enter the cell nucleus. The uptake efficiency depends strongly on the physicochemical properties of the nanostructures as well as on the incubation conditions like concentration and incubation time.
The results demonstrate the potential of LA-ICP-MS providing insight into NP uptake, intracellular distribution and cell-to-cell variation dependent on experimental parameters.
The analytical potential of a nanosecond laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ns-LA-ICP-SFMS) system, equipped with an ultra-fast wash-out ablation chamber, is critically investigated for fast and highly spatially resolved (∼μm) qualitative elemental distribution within single cells. Initially, a low surface roughness (< 10 nm) thin In–SnO2 layer (total coating thickness ∼200 nm) deposited on glass is employed to investigate the size, morphology and overlapping of laser-induced craters obtained at different laser repetition rates, making use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Conical craters with a surface diameter of about 2 µm and depths of about 100 nm were measured after a single laser shot. Furthermore, the influence of the sampling distance (i.e. distance between the sample surface and the inner sniffer of the ablation chamber) on the LA-ICP-MS ion signal wash-out time is evaluated. A significant decrease of the transient 120Sn+ ion signal is noticed after slight variations (±200 μm) around the optimum sampling position. Ultra-fast wash-outs (< 10 ms) are achieved reducing the aerosol mixing from consecutive laser shots even when operating the laser at high repetition rates (25 – 100 Hz). Fast and highly spatially resolved images of elemental distribution within mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (NIH/3T3 fibroblast cells) and human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa cells), incubated with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and Cd-based quantum dots (QDs), respectively, are determined at the optimized operating conditions. Elemental distribution of Au and Cd in single cells is achieved using a high scanning speed (50 µm/s) and high repetition rate (100 Hz). The results obtained for the distribution of fluorescent Cd-based QDs within the HeLa cells are in good agreement with those obtained by confocal microscopy. The size, morphology and overlapping of laser-induced craters in the fixed cells are also investigated using AFM, observing conical craters with a surface diameter of about 2.5 µm and depths of about 800 nm after a single laser shot.
Nanoparticles (NPs) have found a wide range of applications in research and industry. Thereby the interaction of NPs with biological systems like cells has become a major field of interest, ranging from medical applications to nanotoxicology. Size, shape and surface modification of the nanomaterials determine the uptake rate and pathway into the cells, and therefore impact specific cell components and processes.
In recent years, elemental imaging of biological samples using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is gaining more and more importance. Improvements concerning both spatial resolution (down to 1 µm) and signal-to-background ratio due to low-dispersion LA chambers make LA-ICP-MS particularly interesting for single cell analysis.
Here LA-ICP-MS was applied for the imaging of individual cells to study the uptake and intracellular processing of metal-containing nanostructures. The cells were incubated with different NPs under varying experimental conditions and afterwards fixed with para-formaldehyde and dried for LA analysis. High-spatial resolution LA-ICP-MS was achieved by careful optimisation of the laser ablation parameters.
Our findings show, that LA-ICP-MS is applicable to localize NP aggregates within cellular compartments. The uptake efficiency depends strongly on the physicochemical properties of the nanostructures as well as on the incubation conditions like concentration and incubation time.
The results demonstrate the potential of LA-ICP-MS providing insight into nanoparticle-cell interaction dependent on experimental parameters.
Nanoparticles (NPs) have found a wide range of applications in research and industry. Thereby the interaction of NPs with biological systems like cells has become a major field of interest, ranging from medical applications to nanotoxicology. Size, shape and surface modification of the nanomaterials determine the uptake rate and pathway into the cells, and therefore impact specific cell components and processes.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a well-established analytical method offering high sensitivity and multi-element capability. By coupling a laser ablation (LA) system to an ICP-MS the analysis of different kinds of solid samples is possible. In recent years, it was shown that LA-ICP-MS can provide quantitative as well as distribution information of metal containing nanoparticles (NPs) in cell samples.
Here LA-ICP-MS was applied for the imaging of individual fibroblast cells to study the uptake and intracellular processing of NPs. Our results show that LA-ICP-MS can be used to localize nanoparticle aggregates within cellular compartments. The studied NPs accumulate in the perinuclear region in the course of intracellular processing, but do not enter the cell nucleus. The uptake efficiency depends strongly on the physico-chemical properties of the nanostructures as well as on the incubation conditions like concentration and incubation time.
ICP-MS was used to determine the composition of the nanomaterials as well as the number of NPs in cells after acid digestion of the samples.
We applied high resolution laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOF-MS) with cellular spatial resolution for bioimaging of nanoparticles uptaken by fibroblast multicellular spheroids (MCS). This was used to quantitatively investigate interactions of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and the distributions of intrinsic minerals and biologically relevant elements within thin sections of a fibroblast MCS as a three-dimensional in vitro tissue model. We designed matrix-matched calibration standards for this purpose and printed them using a noncontact piezo-driven array spotter with a Ag NP suspension and multielement standards. The limits of detection for Ag, Mg, P, K, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, and Zn were at the femtogram (fg) level, which is sufficient to investigate intrinsic minerals in thin MCS sections (20 μm thick). After incubation for 48 h, Ag NPs were enriched in the outer rim of the MCS but not detected in the core. The localization of Ag NPs was inhomogeneous in the outer rim, and they were colocalized with a single-cell-like structure visualized by Fe distribution (pixel size of elemental images: 5 × 0.5 μm). The quantitative value for the total mass of Ag NPs in a thin section by the present method agreed with that obtained by ICP-sector field (SF)-MS with a liquid mode after acid digestion.
We investigated the penetration of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) into a three-dimensional in vitro tissue analog using NPs with various sizes and surface coatings, and with different incubation times. A high-Resolution laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) time-of-flight (TOF) instrument was applied for imaging the distributions of elements in thin sample sections (20 μm thick). A fibroblast multicellular spheroid (MCS) was selected as the model system and cultured for more than 8 days to produce a natural barrier formed by the extracellular matrix containing collagen. The MCS was then exposed for up to 48 h to one of four types of Ag NPs (∅ 5 nm citrate coated, ∅ 20 nm citrate coated, ∅ 20 nm polyvinylpyrrolidone coated, and ∅ 50 nm citrate coated). Imaging showed that the penetration pathway was strongly related to steric networks formed by collagen fibrils, and Ag NPs with a hydrodynamic diameter of more than 41 nm were completely trapped in an outer rim of the MCSs even after incubation for 48 h. In addition, we examined the impact of these NPs on essential elements (P, Fe, Cu, and Zn) in
areas of Ag NP accumulation. We observed a linear increase at the sub-femtogram level in the total concentration of Cu (fg per pixel) in samples treated with small or large Ag NPs (∅ 5 nm or ∅ 50 nm) for 48 h.
Nanoparticles (NPs) have found a wide range of applications in research and industry. Thereby the interaction of NPs with biological systems like cells has become a major field of interest, ranging from medical applications to nanotoxicology. Size, shape and surface modification of the nanomaterials determine the uptake rate and pathway into the cells, and therefore impact specific cell components and processes.
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is an established quantitative multi-elemental analysis and mapping technique. In recent years, it was shown that LA-ICP-MS can provide quantitative as well as distribution information of metal containing nanoparticles (NPs) in cell samples.
Here LA-ICP-MS was applied for the imaging of individual fibroblast cells to study the uptake and intracellular processing of NPs. Our results show that LA-ICP-MS can be used to localize nanoparticle aggregates within cellular compartments. The studied NPs accumulate in the perinuclear region in the course of intracellular processing, but do not enter the cell nucleus. The uptake efficiency depends strongly on the physico-chemical properties of the nanostructures as well as on the incubation conditions like concentration and incubation time.
ICP-MS was used to determine the composition of the nanomaterials as well as the number of NPs in cells after acid digestion of the samples.
The interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with cells has become a major field of interest, ranging from therapeutic applications to nanotoxicology. The cellular uptake depends on the primary characteristics of the NPs (e.g. size, shape, surface modification) and on the cells interacting with the particles. Thereby the quantification of NPs in cells is of particular importance to obtain information under different experimental conditions. Presently, the number of NPs internalized is often determined by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) optical emission spectrometry (OES) or ICP mass spectrometry (MS) after acid digestion of a cell suspension or a cell pellet. The result is an average value and no information about the distribution among cells or within a cell is available. Therefore we developed a method based on laser ablation (LA) in combination with ICP-MS to localise and quantify metallic NPs in single cells.
LA-ICP-MS is a powerful analytical method which offers excellent sensitivity at high spatial resolution and multielement capability without time-consuming sample preparation steps. Recently, LA-ICP-MS was established for elemental mapping of biological samples like tissues.
In our experiments, fibroblast cells were incubated with gold or silver containing nanoparticles and grown on sterile coverslips under standard conditions. For LA analysis the cells were fixed with formaldehyde and dried. Subcellular resolution is achived by careful optimisation of laser energy, ablation frequency and scan speed. The elemental distribution was determined by continuous ablation line by line of cells incubated with NPs. Our results show that LA-ICP-MS is able to detect NP aggregates within cellular substructures. After 24 h of incubation the NPs were found in the cytosol, preferencially in the perinuclear region, but do not enter the nucleus. Additionally, a quantification strategy at single-cell level was developed. For this purpose nitrocellulose membrane was spiked with Ag or Au nanoparticle suspension at different concentration levels and analysed by LA-ICP-MS. Based on this calibration the number of NPs taken up by individual cells was determined and variations within the cell population become visible. The cells show a strong dependence of NP uptake on concentration and incubation time.
Our results demonstrate the potential of LA-ICP-MS providing insight into NP uptake and intracellular distribution dependent on experimental parameters.
Nanoparticles (NPs) have potential applications in medical diagnostics, imaging, drug delivery and other kinds of therapy. Furthermore, studies concerning nanoparticle uptake by cells are important for risk assessment. Size, shape and surface modification of the NPs determine the uptake rate and pathway into the cells, and therefore impact specific cell components and processes. Understanding the different uptake mechanisms and involved processes require sub-cellular resolution to determine, for example, whether the nanoparticles are reaching the nucleus. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is an established quantitative multi-elemental analysis and mapping technique. However, sub-cellular imaging has traditionally been challenging to achieve due to a lack of sensitivity at small laser spots. But now novel laser ablation systems with improved sensitivity and washout time allow imaging at high lateral resolution with spot sizes down to 1 µm.
Here LA-ICP-MS was applied for the imaging of individual fibroblast cells to study the uptake and intracellular processing of metal-containing NPs. To indicate cell morphology the local distribution of naturally occurring elements in cells like P and Zn was measured, too. Our results show that LA-ICP-MS can be used to localise nanoparticle aggregates within cellular compartments. The studied NPs accumulate in the perinuclear region in the course of intracellular processing, but do not enter the cell nucleus. The uptake efficiency depends strongly on the physico-chemical properties of the nanostructures as well as on the incubation conditions like concentration and incubation time. The potential of LA-ICP-MS for analysis at single cell level will be demonstrated.
Studying the interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with cells has become a growing field of interest. Research topics are ranging from nanotoxicology to medical applications e.g. as theranostic agents. In order to evaluate nano-bio interactions, the number of NPs inside cells as well as their localisation within cellular substructures is of particular interest.
In recent years, elemental imaging of biological samples using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is gaining more and more importance. Latest instrumental developments regarding spatial resolution (down to 1 µm) and detection efficiency make LA ICP-MS particularly interesting for single cell analysis.
Here, we have applied LA-ICP-MS for sub-cellular scale imaging of individual cells to study the NP pathway from uptake, via intracellular processing up to cell division. Furthermore, the local distribution of naturally occurring elements in cells like P was measured to indicate the cell morphology.
Murine fibroblast cells were incubated with different metal-containing NPs under varying experimental conditions. For LA analysis, the cells were fixed and dried. Sub-cellular resolution was achieved by careful optimisation of the laser ablation parameters. By rastering with the laser beam across the sample, a two-dimensional image of the elemental distribution can be received. Our results show that LA-ICP-MS is able to localise NP aggregates within cellular substructures. The studied NPs accumulate in the perinuclear region in the course of intracellular processing, e.g. multivesicular fusion and endosomal maturation, but do not enter the nucleus. The uptake depends on the physico-chemical properties of the nanostructures and on the incubation conditions like concentration and incubation time. Additionally, the number of NPs internalized by individual cells was determined and variations within a cell population became visible.
The findings demonstrate the potential of LA-ICP-MS providing insight into NP uptake and intracellular distribution dependent on experimental parameters.
Gold nanostructures that serve as probes for nanospectroscopic analysis of eukaryotic cell cultures can be obtained by the in situ reduction of tetrachloroauric acid (HAuCl4). To understand the formation process of such intracellularly grown particles depending on the incubation medium, the reaction was carried out with 3T3 fibroblast cells in three different incubation media, phosphate buffer, Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), and standard cell culture medium (DMEM with fetal calf serum). The size, the optical properties, the biomolecular corona, and the localization of the gold nanoparticles formed in situ vary for the different conditions. The combination of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) microscopic mapping and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provides complementary perspectives on plasmonic nanoparticles and non-plasmonic gold compounds inside the cells. While for the incubation with HAuCl4 in PBS, gold particles provide optical signals from the nucleus, the incubation in standard cell culture medium leads to scavenging of the toxic molecules and the formation of spots of high gold concentration in the cytoplasm without formation of SERS-active particles inside the cells. The biomolecular corona of nanoparticles formed in situ after incubation in buffer and DMEM differs, suggesting that different intracellular molecular species serve for reduction and stabilization. Comparison with data obtained from ready-made gold nanoparticles suggests complementary application of in situ and ex situ generated nanostructures for optical probing.
We have efficiently produced collagen-rich microstructures in fibroblast multicellular spheroids (MCSs) as a three-dimensional in vitro tissue analog to investigate silver (Ag) nanoparticle (NP) penetration. The MCS production was examined by changing the seeding cell number (500 to 40,000 cells) and the growth period (1 to 10 days). MCSs were incubated with Ag NP suspensions with a concentration of 5 μg/mL for 24 h. For this study, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to visualize Ag NP localization quantitatively. Thin sections of MCSs were analyzed by LA-ICP-MS with a laser spot size of 8 μm to image distributions of 109Ag, 31P, 63Cu, 66Zn, and 79Br. A calibration using a NP suspension was applied to convert the measured Ag intensity into the number of NPs present. The determined numbers of NPs ranged from 30 to 7200 particles in an outer rim of MCS. The particle distribution was clearly correlated with the presence of 31P and 66Zn and was localized in the outer rim of proliferating cells with a width that was equal to about twice the diameter of single cells. Moreover, abundant collagens were found in the outer rim of MCSs. For only the highest seeding cell number, NPs were completely captured at the outer rim, in a natural barrier reducing particle transport, whereas Eosin (79Br) used as a probe of small molecules penetrated into the core of MCSs already after 1 min of exposure.