Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ece Bueber, Tim Schroeder, Michael Scheckenbach, Mihir Dass, Philip Tinnefeld, Henri G. Franquelim
Summary: Particle size is a crucial parameter that affects the physicochemical properties of materials. In the context of lipids and cellular membranes, particle size and surface curvature play a significant role, as the cell membrane undergoes conformational changes in various biological processes, resulting in different local curvature values. Hence, it is important to develop cost-effective and accurate systems capable of measuring surface curvature on the nanoscale and translating it to spherical particle size. This study presents a novel approach utilizing flexible DNA nanodevices as curvature sensors, which can adapt to the curvature of the structures they bind to. These sensors employ Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) as a transduction mechanism at the single-molecule level. By connecting segmented DNA origami structures with flexible DNA linkers containing a FRET pair, the sensors were able to accurately measure the size of spherical silica beads and lipid vesicles within the range of 50-300 nm and the bending angle range of 50-180 degrees. This research contributes to the development of advanced modular-curvature sensing devices capable of accurately determining the sizes of nanoparticles and biological complexes.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Sergey V. Adichtchev, Konstantin A. Okotrub, Alexey M. Pugachev, Irina V. Zaytseva, Nikolay V. Surovtsev
Summary: This study investigated binary phospholipid bilayers composed of DPPC using Raman spectroscopy and DSC, finding that certain features in Raman spectra can accurately indicate lipid phase and phase coexistence. It was discovered that the spectral characteristics of specific Raman lines can be used to detect ordered and disordered lipid phases coexisting within the DPPC concentration range. The results provide a robust label-free contactless approach for the detection of lipid phase separation with micrometer resolution.
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Polina D. D. Zlodeeva, Egor V. V. Shekunov, Olga S. S. Ostroumova, Svetlana S. S. Efimova
Summary: This paper discusses the possibility of using plant polyphenols as viral fusion inhibitors with a lipid-mediated mechanism of action. The studied compounds showed promising antiviral activity due to their high lipophilicity, low toxicity, bioavailability, and relative cheapness. The ability of polyphenols to inhibit vesicle fusions was correlated with their ability to perturb lipid packing, suggesting the depth of immersion and the orientation of the molecules in the membrane played a role in their antifusogenic action.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eric Boateng Osei, Liliia Paniushkina, Konrad Wilhelm, Juergen Popp, Irina Nazarenko, Christoph Krafft
Summary: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) ranging in size from 60 to 800 nm were isolated from plasma of control and prostate cancer patients using differential centrifugation and ultrafiltration techniques. Spontaneous Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) were employed to identify fractions that best discriminate between control and cancer patients, with results showing that EV12 and EV120 fractions provide the most effective separation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pradjna N. Paramitha, Riki Zakaria, Anisa Maryani, Yukako Kusaka, Bibin B. Andriana, Kosuke Hashimoto, Hiromitsu Nakazawa, Satoru Kato, Hidetoshi Sato
Summary: The study revealed that oleic and linoleic acids promote higher rates of fat accumulation in hepatic cells compared to palmitic and stearic acids, with linoleic acid causing cell death while oleic acid does not. Additionally, linoleic fatty chains taken into the cells are modified into oleic fatty chains, suggesting a potential role in inflammation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Motoki Nishimura, Yoshimasa Kawaguchi, Kakeru Kuroki, Yuna Nakagawa, Toshihiro Masuda, Takayuki Sakai, Kenichi Kawano, Hisaaki Hirose, Miki Imanishi, Tomoka Takatani-Nakase, Sergii Afonin, Anne S. Ulrich, Shiroh Futaki
Summary: Spatiotemporal structural alterations in cellular membranes play a crucial role in many vital processes. The N-terminal helical segment (EpN18) of Epsin-1 protein is essential in inducing positive membrane curvature. Understanding the structural features of EpN18 can help design effective tools for controlling membrane curvature.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Timur Khamidullin, Shamil Galyaltdinov, Alina Valimukhametova, Vasiliy Brusko, Artur Khannanov, Stefan Maat, Irina Kalinina, Ayrat M. Dimiev
Summary: A new, cost-effective separation method for carbon nanotubes is proposed in this work, allowing for industrial-scale processing of single-walled carbon nanotubes. The method involves passing a surfactant solution of unsorted CNTs through a column filled with chemically modified cotton wool, resulting in two fractions enriched with semiconductor and metallic CNTs, respectively. The separated fractions are fully characterized using various spectroscopic techniques.
Article
Cell Biology
Yohei Ohashi, Shirley Tremel, Roger L. Williams
Summary: Phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PtdIns3P) plays a crucial role in autophagosome formation and endocytic trafficking regulation, with the activities of human PIK3C3/VPS34-containing complexes I and II being significantly influenced by membrane physicochemical parameters such as lipid unsaturation, curvature, and negative charge. The interaction of these complexes with membranes, specifically the presence of unsaturated lipids, membrane curvature, and negatively charged phospholipids, is essential for regulating their kinase activity and ultimately their function in autophagy and endocytosis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brandy N. Curtis, Ellysa J. D. Vogt, Kevin S. Cannon, Amy S. Gladfelter
Summary: Most cells can sense and change their shape to carry out cell processes, with the septin cytoskeleton playing a vital role in coordinating shape changes. Septins assemble into higher-order structures and are found in regions of positive curvature on the cell membrane. Reconstituting the septin cytoskeleton in a cell-free system has allowed for the study of assembly mechanisms at high resolution. Understanding how septins assemble and sense curvature at different stages is crucial for understanding cell shape changes.
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2022)
Article
Spectroscopy
Martina Bonsignore, Sebastiano Trusso, Claudia De Pasquale, Guido Ferlazzo, Alessandro Allegra, Vanessa Innao, Caterina Musolino, Domenico Franco, Laura Maria De Plano, Salvatore Pietro Paolo Guglielmino, Fortunato Neri, Enza Fazio
Summary: In this study, micro-Raman spectroscopy was used to explore the spectral differences between different subsets of multiple myeloma plasma cells. The differences were analyzed through principal component analysis, revealing changes in protein and lipid contributions. This technology can be proposed as a diagnostic tool for rapid cell identification and assessment of intracellular biochemical changes in cancer cells.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Damian A. Grillo, Juan M. R. Albano, Rufino E. Valladares T., Esteban E. Mocskos, Julio C. Facelli, Monica Pickholz, Marta B. Ferraro
Summary: In this study, a new methodology was implemented to investigate the structural and mechanical properties of systems with spherical and planar symmetries using Molecular Dynamics simulations. The methodology was applied to a drug delivery system based on polymersomes, with prilocaine as the chosen model drug. The results showed that the structural properties of the polymersome membrane could be obtained from bilayer simulations, but the mechanical aspects were better understood through simulations of the entire polymersomes.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ugur Parlatan, Mehmet Ozgun Ozen, Ibrahim Kecoglu, Batuhan Koyuncu, Hulya Torun, Davod Khalafkhany, Irem Loc, Mehmet Giray Ogut, Fatih Inci, Demir Akin, Ihsan Solaroglu, Nesrin Ozoren, Mehmet Burcin Unlu, Utkan Demirci
Summary: Researchers have developed a method that combines surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with machine learning algorithms to classify extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from different cell lines and determine their cellular origins. This machine learning-assisted SERS method allows for label-free investigation of EV preparations and differentiation between cancer cell-derived exosomes and healthy cell-derived exosomes, offering new avenues for early detection and monitoring of diseases.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hyunku Shin, Byeong Hyeon Choi, On Shim, Jihee Kim, Yong Park, Suk Ki Cho, Hyun Koo Kim, Yeonho Choi
Summary: This study successfully detected the presence of 6 types of early-stage cancer and classified the tumor organ type using artificial intelligence and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. It shows potential in early cancer detection and has the ability to expand to other diseases.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yeran Bai, Zhongyue Guo, Fatima C. Pereira, Michael Wagner, Ji-Xin Cheng
Summary: A mid-infrared photothermal-fluorescence in situ hybridization (MIP-FISH) platform is developed for simultaneous identification and metabolic analysis of microbes with single-cell resolution and high throughput. By improving MIP imaging, isotopically labeled compounds incorporated into proteins of individual bacterial cells can be sensitively detected, while FISH labeling with rRNA-targeted probes enables the identification of the analyzed cells. In proof-of-concept experiments, MIP-FISH successfully discriminates and identifies labeled bacterial cells within a complex human gut microbiome sample based on the clear spectral red shift in the protein amide I region caused by incorporation of 13C atoms from 13C-labeled glucose. This study opens up new opportunities for single-cell structure-function analyses in microbiology.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bethany Mapley, David Townsend, John Griffin, Lorna Ashton, David A. Middleton
Summary: This study characterized the interactions of two ocular corticosteroid drugs with phospholipid bilayers using solid-state NMR and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed different orientations and interactions of the drugs within the lipid bilayers, providing important insights for improving liposomal preparations.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Faris Sinjab, Hany M. Elsheikha, Max Dooley, Ioan Notingher
JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS
(2020)
Article
Optics
Faris Sinjab, Kazuki Hashimoto, Xuanqiang Zhao, Yu Nagashima, Takuro Ideguchi
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Christopher Corden, Pavel Matousek, Claudia Conti, Ioan Notingher
Summary: The study investigated the use of time-gated and micro-spatially offset Raman spectroscopy for sub-surface molecular analysis in optically turbid samples. Multiplexed spectral detection allowed fast acquisition of signals for three-dimensional Raman mapping, demonstrating the potential for practical applications in various fields.
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
(2021)
Article
Optics
Faris Sinjab, Kazuki Hashimoto, Venktata Ramaiah Badarla, Junko Omachi, Takuro Ideguchi
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Maria Giovanna Lizio, Zhiyu Liao, Dustin W. Shipp, Radu Boitor, Raluca Mihai, James S. Sharp, Matthew Russell, Hazem Khout, Emad A. Rakha, Ioan Notingher
Summary: The new technique combining auto-fluorescence spectral imaging and Raman spectroscopy allows for fast intraoperative assessment of excision margins in breast conserving surgery, providing information regarding tumor location within 45 minutes.
BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS
(2021)
Article
Optics
Liam Collard, Filippo Pisano, Marco Pisanello, Antonio Balena, Massimo De Vittorio, Ferruccio Pisanello
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of phase modulation to control the output beam of a multimode fiber, generating multiple low divergence rays with controlled angles and phase at the fiber output. Wavefront engineering is employed to achieve complex far-field structuring of the emission of a MMF.
Article
Physics, Applied
Christopher Corden, Radu Boitor, Ioan Notingher
Summary: The use of time-gated Raman spectroscopy based on a single photon avalanche diode was investigated for acquiring Raman spectra of biological tissue under ambient lighting conditions. Optimal suppression of background light was observed for time gate widths of 300-1000 ps. The technique was able to detect subtle spectral differences required for medical diagnostics, such as differences in Raman spectra of cancer and normal tissue.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Dai Le, Ekaterina Krasnopeeva, Faris Sinjab, Teuta Pilizota, Minsu Kim
Summary: Bacteria exhibit heterogeneous responses to protonophores, resulting in bimodal distributions of cell growth, substrate transport, and motility. Active efflux systems are required for this heterogeneous response, which is mediated by positive feedback between proton motive force and protonophores' action. These findings have broad implications for bacterial adaptation to stress, including antibiotics.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Max Dooley, Thomas Paterson, Louise Dexter, Pavel Matousek, Hamid Dehghani, Ioan Notingher
Summary: Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) is a powerful technique for subsurface molecular analysis of optically turbid samples. Numerical modeling and experimental validation have shown that offsetting the laser source and detector in opposite directions can significantly improve spectral contrast and signal to noise ratio.
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liam Collard, Filippo Pisano, Di Zheng, Antonio Balena, Muhammad Fayyaz Kashif, Marco Pisanello, Antonella D'Orazio, Liset M. de la Prida, Cristian Ciraci, Marco Grande, Massimo De Vittorio, Ferruccio Pisanello
Summary: This paper discusses the integration of plasmonic structures on optical fibers and its potential applications. The turbidity of light propagation in multimode fibers hinders dynamic control of the coupling between guided light fields and plasmonic resonances. Utilizing the information of guided modes, the authors demonstrate the spatiotemporal control of plasmonic resonances by employing dynamic phase modulation.
Review
Oncology
Surekha Barkur, Ioan Notingher, Emad Rakha
Summary: LN involvement is a strong prognostic factor in breast cancer, and the sentinel LN approach has reduced the need for extensive axillary surgery. While preoperative assessment has improved, intraoperative evaluation of the sentinel LN is important for accurate staging and management decisions. Optical techniques offer a cost-effective and accurate platform for intraoperative assessment of SLN within the operating theatre.
SURGICAL ONCOLOGY-OXFORD
(2022)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Nathan Woodhouse, Jan Majer, Peter Marshall, Steve Hood, Ioan Notingher
Summary: Quantitative analysis of drug delivery in biological systems using Raman spectroscopy has been studied in rat brain and liver tissue models, showing promising results for assessing drug delivery in tissue applications.
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Di Zheng, Filippo Pisano, Liam Collard, Antonio Balena, Marco Pisanello, Barbara Spagnolo, Rosa Mach-Batlle, Francesco Tantussi, Luigi Carbone, Francesco De Angelis, Manuel Valiente, Liset M. de la Prida, Cristian Ciraci, Massimo De Vittorio, Ferruccio Pisanello
Summary: Integration of plasmonic nanostructures with fiber-optics-based neural probes enables label-free detection of molecular fingerprints via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). A SERS-active neural probe based on a tapered optical fiber (TF) decorated with gold nanoislands (NIs) is presented, which can detect neurotransmitters down to the micromolar range. The NIs-TF technology is envisioned as a first step toward the unexplored frontier of in vivo label-free plasmonic neural interfaces.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Surgery
Christopher Corden, Radu Boitor, Palminder Kaur Dusanjh, Andrew Harwood, Abhik Mukherjee, Dhanwant Gomez, Ioan Notingher
Summary: This study investigates the use of auto-fluorescence (AF) and Raman spectroscopy for ex vivo discrimination of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) from normal liver tissue. The results demonstrate that AF imaging and Raman spectroscopy can effectively differentiate CRLM from normal liver tissue. These findings suggest the potential development of integrated multimodal AF-Raman techniques for intraoperative assessment of surgical margins.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Liam Collard, Linda Piscopo, Filippo Pisano, Di Zheng, Massimo De Vittorio, Ferruccio Pisanello
Summary: Pre-shaping light at the tip of a multimode fiber is important for imaging techniques. Measuring the transmission matrix of the optical waveguide helps in scrambling the coherent input light into random speckle patterns. The use of an internal reference beam passing through the multimode fiber has advantages and disadvantages that are still controversial.
