Original ArticleStudies of silicon nanoparticles uptake and biodegradation in cancer cells by Raman spectroscopy
Graphical Abstract
Left: Schematic representation of SiNPs biodegradation processes: (I) localization of SiNPs on the cell membrane; (II) penetration of SiNPs in the cytoplasm with partial solubility of the nanoparticles; (III) strong dissolution of SiNPs after 10-13 days within the cell body.
Right: Raman spectra of NL-SiNPs for different incubation times: 9 h, 48 h and 13 days of incubation depicted in red, blue and green, respectively. Inset: corresponding xz-cross-section of Raman spectroscopy images of MCF-7 cells cultivated with NL-SiNPs.
Section snippets
Nanoparticles formation
Heavily boron-doped (doping level of 1020 cm− 3; specific resistivity of 0.005 Ω*cm) 4-inch crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers with crystallographic orientation of (100) were used. Photoluminescent SiNPs (PL-SiNPs) were formed by using metal-assisted wet-chemical etching (MAWCE) to fabricate photoluminescent Si nanowires (PL-SiNWs) followed by their fragmentation by using in an ultrasound bath (37 kHz, 90 W). The MAWCE method is based on a two-step process, as previously reported.44 First, silver
Structural analysis of silicon nanostructures
Figure 1, A and B shows typical scanning electron microscopy (SEM) cross-sectional micrographs of PL-SiNWs and NL-PSi layers, respectively. The PL-SiNWs look as quasi-ordered arrays with preferential orientation along the [100] crystallographic direction. The depth of layers of PL-SiNWs and NL-PSi was about 30 μm and 60 μm, respectively. The diameter of the SiNWs was in the range of 150-300 nm, and remained constant over the whole length of SiNWs. The NL-PSi layers consist of a network of silicon
Discussion
Based on the performed investigations the model of SiNPs uptake and biodegradation by cancer cells is proposed and schematically represented in Figure 7. During the first step of incubation SiNPs are localized on the cell membrane starting to penetrate into the cell after 5-9 h (Stage I in Figure 7). Subsequent 24 h of incubation leads to the efficient distribution of SiNPs within the cell cytoplasm and on the nuclear periphery. Partial biodegradation of SiNPs can be observed (Stage II in Figure 7
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Dr. Reuter and Mrs. Shestaeva for their help during the experiments.
References (57)
- et al.
Quantum dots and nanoparticles for photodynamic and radiation therapies of cancer
Adv Drug Deliv Rev
(2008) 1 - Porous silicon for medical use: from conception to clinical use [Internet]
- et al.
Porous silicon in drug delivery devices and materials
Adv Drug Deliv Rev
(2008) - et al.
In vitro cytotoxicity of porous silicon microparticles: Effect of the particle concentration, surface chemistry and size
Acta Biomater
(2010) - et al.
Breaking the resolution limit in light microscopy
Methods Cell Biol
(2013) - et al.
Comparative two- and three-dimensional analysis of nanoparticle localization in different cell types by Raman spectroscopic imaging
J Mol Struct
(2014) - et al.
Raman mapping of pharmaceuticals
Int J Pharm
(2011) - et al.
Evaluation of drug delivery profiles in geometric three-layered tablets with various mechanical properties, in vitro–in vivo drug release, and Raman imaging
J Control Release
(2013) - et al.
Raman properties of silicon nanoparticles
Phys E Low-Dimens Syst Nanostruct
(2006) - et al.
Raman spectrum of silicon nanowires
Mater Sci Eng C
(2003)
Spectral pre-processing for biomedical vibrational spectroscopy and microspectroscopic imaging
Chemom Intell Lab Syst
The effects of microcrystal size and shape on the one phonon Raman spectra of crystalline semiconductors
Solid State Commun
Photoacoustic and photothermal detection of circulating tumor cells, bacteria and nanoparticles in cerebrospinal fluid in vivo and ex vivo
J Biophotonics
Multifunctional inorganic nanoparticles for imaging, targeting, and drug delivery
ACS Nano
Mortalin imaging in normal and cancer cells with quantum dot immuno-conjugates
Cell Res
Multicolor quantum dots for molecular diagnostics of cancer
Expert Rev Mol Diagn
Chemical and biological applications of porous silicon technology
Adv Mater
Mesoporous silicon: A platform for the delivery of therapeutics
Expert Opin Drug Deliv
Interview: Nanosilicon for nanomedicine: A step towards biodegradable electronic implants?
Nanomedicine
Biodegradability of Porous Silicon [Internet]
Photoluminescent biocompatible silicon nanoparticles for cancer theranostic applications
J Biophotonics
Silicon nanocrystals as photo- and sono-sensitizers for biomedical applications
Appl Phys B
Radio frequency radiation-induced hyperthermia using Si nanoparticle-based sensitizers for mild cancer therapy
Sci Rep
Drug Delivery with Porous Silicon [Internet]
Silicon quantum wire array fabrication by electrochemical and chemical dissolution of wafers
Appl Phys Lett
Bioactive polycrystalline silicon
Adv Mater
The effects of DC electric currents on the in-vitro calcification of bioactive silicon wafers
Adv Mater
Introduction [Internet]
Cited by (0)
In the article “Studies of Silicon Nanoparticles Uptake and Biodegradation in Cancer Cells by Raman Spectroscopy” no conflicts of interest are presented.
This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research under Grant No. 01DJ13010 and Baltic Sea Research Network “NanoPhoto” (Grant No. 01DS14017), by the scientific project No. 13 N12166 and “QuantiSERS” and “Jenaer Biochip Initiative 2.0” of “InnoProfile Transfer – Unternehmen Region“. The photoluminescence study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No. №14-50-00029). L.A.O. greatly acknowledges the financial support of the joint program of MSU-DAAD “Vladimir Vernadsky”.