Detection and Time-Tracking Activation of a Photosensitiser on Live Single Colorectal Cancer Cells Using Raman Spectroscopy

Gala De Pablo, J.; Chisholm, D.R.; Ambler, C.A.; Peyman, S.A.; Whiting, A.; Evans, S.

doi:10.1039/d0an01023e

Detection and Time-Tracking Activation of a Photosensitiser on Live Single Colorectal Cancer Cells Using Raman Spectroscopy

Gala De Pablo, J.; Chisholm, D.R.; Ambler, C.A.; Peyman, S.A.; Whiting, A.; Evans, S.

Authors

J. Gala De Pablo

Dr David Chisholm d.r.chisholm@durham.ac.uk
Academic Visitor

Professor Carrie Ambler c.a.ambler@durham.ac.uk
Professor

S.A. Peyman

Professor Andrew Whiting andy.whiting@durham.ac.uk
Emeritus Professor

S. Evans

Abstract

Raman spectroscopy has been used to observe uptake, metabolism and response of single-cells to drugs. Photodynamic therapy is based on the use of light, a photosensitiser and oxygen to destroy tumour tissue. Here, we used single-cell Raman spectroscopy to study the uptake and intracellular degradation of a novel photosensitiser with a diphenylacetylene structure, DC473, in live single-cells from colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines SW480, HT29 and SW620. DC473 was seen to predominantly accumulate in lipid droplets, showing higher accumulation in HT29 and SW620 cells than in SW480 cells, with a broader DC473 peak shifted to higher wavenumbers. DC473 activation and effects were tracked on live single-cells for 5 minutes. Upon exposure to UV light, the DC473 signal intensity dropped, with remaining DC473 shifting towards higher wavenumbers and widening, with a lifetime of approximately 50 seconds. Morphologically, SW480 and SW620 cells showed changes upon photodynamic therapy, whereas HT29 cells showed no changes. Morphological changes correlated with higher remaining DC473 signal after UV exposure. Our research suggests that DC473 forms aggregates within the cells that disaggregate following activation, showing the potential of Raman spectroscopy for the study of time-dependent single-cell pharmacodynamics.

Citation

Gala De Pablo, J., Chisholm, D., Ambler, C., Peyman, S., Whiting, A., & Evans, S. (2020). Detection and Time-Tracking Activation of a Photosensitiser on Live Single Colorectal Cancer Cells Using Raman Spectroscopy. Analyst, 145(17), 5878-5888. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0an01023e

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jul 6, 2020
Online Publication Date	Jul 7, 2020
Publication Date	2020-09
Deposit Date	Jul 7, 2020
Publicly Available Date	Sep 9, 2020
Journal	Analyst
Print ISSN	0003-2654
Electronic ISSN	1364-5528
Publisher	Royal Society of Chemistry
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	145
Issue	17
Pages	5878-5888
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1039/d0an01023e