Resonance Raman quantification of the redox state of cytochromes b and c in-vivo and in-vitro

Modern optical approaches in redox biology: Genetically encoded sensors and Raman spectroscopy

The objective of the current review is to summarize the current state of optical methods in redox biology. It consists of two parts, the first is dedicated to genetically encoded fluorescent indicators and the second to Raman spectroscopy. In the first part, we provide a detailed classification of the currently available redox biosensors based on their target analytes. We thoroughly discuss the main architecture types of these proteins, the underlying engineering strategies for their development, the biochemical properties of existing tools and their advantages and disadvantages from a practical point of view. Particular attention is paid to fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy as a possible readout technique, since it is less prone to certain artifacts than traditional intensiometric measurements. In the second part, the characteristic Raman peaks of the most important redox intermediates are listed, and examples of how this knowledge can be implemented in biological studies are given. This part covers such fields as estimation of the redox states and concentrations of Fe-S clusters, cytochromes, other heme-containing proteins, oxidative derivatives of thiols, lipids, and nucleotides. Finally, we touch on the issue of multiparameter imaging, in which biosensors are combined with other visualization methods for simultaneous assessment of several cellular parameters.

Mitochondrial malfunction and atrophy of astrocytes in the aged human cerebral cortex

How aging affects cells of the human brain active milieu remains largely unknown. Here, we analyze astrocytes and neurons in the neocortical tissue of younger (22-50 years) and older (51-72 years) adults. Aging decreases the amount of reduced mitochondrial cytochromes in astrocytes but not neurons. The protein-to-lipid ratio decreases in astrocytes and increases in neurons. Aged astrocytes show morphological atrophy quantified by the decreased length of branches, decreased volume fraction of leaflets, and shrinkage of the anatomical domain. Atrophy correlates with the loss of gap junction coupling between astrocytes and increased input resistance. Aging is accompanied by the upregulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and downregulation of membrane-cytoskeleton linker ezrin associated with leaflets. No significant changes in neuronal excitability or spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic signaling is observed. Thus, brain aging is associated with the impaired morphological presence and mitochondrial malfunction of cortical astrocytes, but not neurons.

Raman spectroscopy of yeast cells cultured on a deuterated substrate

Raman spectroscopy of cells cultured in a deuterated substrate is a promising approach to the characterization of mass transfer and enzymatic reactions in living cells. Here, we studied the potential of this approach using the example of yeast cells cultured under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. In our experiments, unadapted to D2O Saccharomyces cerevisiae were cultured in a medium with different concentrations of deuterium oxide and deuterated glucose. It has been shown that the addition of even 10% heavy water leads to a general decrease in the amount of lipids in cells. In the Raman spectra of cells cultured at high concentrations of D2O, additional peaks are found, which are associated with the deuteration of entire chemical groups. We observed a similar effect in the ethanol synthesized by yeast fermentation, the deuteration of which also depends on the concentration of D2O. The results on the characterization of cell deuteration turned out to be in qualitative agreement with the known estimate that aerobic metabolism is 15 times more active than ethanol fermentation. The results of our work determine new limitations and prospects for further application and development of the Raman method of spectroscopy of deuterium tags.

Hyperglycemia exacerbates ischemic stroke not through increased generation of hydrogen peroxide

Diabetes is one of the significant risk factors for ischemic stroke. Hyperglycemia exacerbates the pathogenesis of stroke, leading to more extensive cerebral damage and, as a result, to more severe consequences. However, the mechanism whereby the hyperglycemic status in diabetes affects biochemical processes during the development of ischemic injury is still not fully understood. In the present work, we record for the first time the real-time dynamics of H2O2 in the matrix of neuronal mitochondria in vitro in culture and in vivo in the brain tissues of rats during development of ischemic stroke under conditions of hyperglycemia and normal glucose levels. To accomplish this, we used a highly sensitive HyPer7 biosensor and a fiber-optic interface technology. We demonstrated that a high glycemic status does not affect the generation of H2O2 in the tissues of the ischemic core, while significantly exacerbating the consequences of pathogenesis. For the first time using Raman microspectroscopy approach, we have shown how a sharp increase in the blood glucose level increases the relative amount of reduced cytochromes in the mitochondrial electron transport chain in neurons under normal conditions in awake mice.

In vivo noninvasive mitochondrial redox assessment of the optic nerve head to predict disease

Eye diseases are diagnosed by visualizing often irreversible structural changes occurring late in disease progression, such as retinal ganglion cell loss in glaucoma. The retina and optic nerve head have high mitochondrial energy need. Early mitochondrial/energetics dysfunction may predict vulnerability to permanent structural changes. In the in vivo murine eye, we used light-based resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) to assess noninvasively the redox states of mitochondria and hemoglobin which reflect availability of electron donors (fuel) and acceptors (oxygen). As proof of principle, we demonstrated that the mitochondrial redox state at the optic nerve head correlates with later retinal ganglion loss after acute intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation. This technology can potentially map the metabolic health of eye tissue in vivo complementary to optical coherence tomography, defining structural changes. Early detection (and normalization) of mitochondrial dysfunction before irreversible damage could lead to prevention of permanent neural loss.

Label-Free Monitoring of Drug-Induced Cytotoxicity and Its Molecular Fingerprint by Live-Cell Raman and Autofluorescence Imaging

Simultaneous observation of drug distribution at the effector site and subsequent cell response are essential in the drug development process. However, few studies have visualized the drug itself and biomolecular interactions in living cells. Here, we used label-free Raman microscopy to investigate drug-induced cytotoxicity and visualize drug uptake and subcellular localization by its specific molecular fingerprint. A redox-sensitive Raman microscope detected the decrease of reduced cytochrome c (cyt c) after Actinomycin D (ActD) treatment in a time-dependent and dose-dependent format. Immunofluorescence staining of cyt c suggested that the release of cyt c was not the major cause. Combining Raman microscopy with conventional biological methods, we reported that the oxidization of cyt c is an early cytotoxicity marker prior to the release of cyt c. Moreover, as the spectral properties of ActD are sensitive to the surrounding environment, subcellular localization of ActD was visualized sensitively by the weak autofluorescence, and the intercalation of ActD into DNA was detected by shifted Raman peaks, allowing for parallel observation of drug uptake and the mechanism of action. In this research, we achieved simultaneous observation of cytotoxicity and cellular drug uptake by Raman microscopy, which could facilitate a precise understanding of pharmacological effects and predict potential drug toxicity in the future.

A high-fat diet changes astrocytic metabolism to promote synaptic plasticity and behavior

AIM

A high-fat diet (HFD) is generally considered to negatively influence the body, the brain, and cognition. Nonetheless, fat and fatty acids are essential for nourishing and constructing brain tissue. Astrocytes are central for lipolysis and fatty acids metabolism. We tested how HFD affects astrocyte metabolism, morphology, and physiology.

METHODS

We used Raman microspectroscopy to assess the redox state of mitochondria and lipid content in astrocytes and neurons in hippocampal slices of mice subjected to HFD. Astrocytes were loaded with fluorescent dye through patch pipette for morphological analysis. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were performed to measure transporter and potassium currents. Western blot analysis quantified the expression of astrocyte-specific proteins. Field potential recordings measured the magnitude of long-term potentiation (LTP). Open filed test was performed to evaluate the effect of HFD on animal behavior.

RESULTS

We found that exposure of young mice to 1 month of HFD increases lipid content and relative amount of reduced cytochromes in astrocytes but not in neurons. Metabolic changes were paralleled with an enlargement of astrocytic territorial domains due to an increased outgrowth of branches and leaflets. Astrocyte remodeling was associated with an increase in expression of ezrin and with no changes in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1), and glutamine synthetase (GS). Such physiological (non-reactive) enlargement of astrocytes in the brain active milieu promoted glutamate clearance and LTP and translated into behavioral changes.

CONCLUSION

Dietary fat intake is not invariably harmful and might exert beneficial effects depending on the biological context.

Raman Spectroscopy of Oral Candida Species: Molecular-Scale Analyses, Chemometrics, and Barcode Identification

Oral candidiasis, a common opportunistic infection of the oral cavity, is mainly caused by the following four Candida species (in decreasing incidence rate): Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei. This study offers in-depth Raman spectroscopy analyses of these species and proposes procedures for an accurate and rapid identification of oral yeast species. We first obtained average spectra for different Candida species and systematically analyzed them in order to decode structural differences among species at the molecular scale. Then, we searched for a statistical validation through a chemometric method based on principal component analysis (PCA). This method was found only partially capable to mechanistically distinguish among Candida species. We thus proposed a new Raman barcoding approach based on an algorithm that converts spectrally deconvoluted Raman sub-bands into barcodes. Barcode-assisted Raman analyses could enable on-site identification in nearly real-time, thus implementing preventive oral control, enabling prompt selection of the most effective drug, and increasing the probability to interrupt disease transmission.

In situ assessment of mitochondrial respiratory activity and lipid metabolism of mouse oocytes using resonance Raman spectroscopy

This study aimed to develop a method to determine the degree of oocyte maturation in metaphase II in situ based on the balance between mitochondrial respiratory activity and lipid metabolism using resonance Raman spectroscopy. A decrease in the respiratory activity of overmatured oocytes was indicated by the reduced intensities of the resonance Raman bands corresponding to reduced cytochrome c in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the increased lipid concentration in overmature oocytes indicated lower lipid metabolism with a decreased mitochondrial function. New indexes were defined in terms of the ratios of the representative Raman peak intensities of reduced cytochrome c (750 and 1127 cm^-1) to those of lipids (1438 cm^-1 ) and they successfully classify the oocytes into groups based on their quality, which varied with their maturation degree. The high development rate of embryos that were fertilized in vitro after laser irradiation showed that laser irradiation was noninvasive to oocytes. The evaluation of two factors in situ, the active respiration and lipid metabolism, means to catch the most fundamental biochemical reactions of life activities. Our results demonstrate the potential application of resonance Raman spectroscopy as a new, noninvasive, and universal cell evaluation technology, for not only oocytes but also more general cells such as somatic cells and iPS cells.

Revision of Commonly Accepted Warburg Mechanism of Cancer Development: Redox-Sensitive Mitochondrial Cytochromes in Breast and Brain Cancers by Raman Imaging

We used Raman imaging to monitor changes in the redox state of the mitochondrial cytochromes in ex vivo human brain and breast tissues, surgically resected specimens of human tissues and in vitro human brain cells of normal astrocytes (NHA), astrocytoma (CRL-1718), glioblastoma (U87-MG) and medulloblastoma (Daoy), and human breast cells of normal cells (MCF 10A), slightly malignant cells (MCF7) and highly aggressive cells (MDA-MB-231) by means of Raman microspectroscopy at 532 nm. We visualized localization of cytochromes by Raman imaging in the major organelles in cancer cells. We demonstrated that the "redox state Raman marker" of the ferric low-spin heme in cytochrome c at 1584 cm^-1 can serve as a sensitive indicator of cancer aggressiveness. We compared concentration of reduced cytochrome c and the grade of cancer aggressiveness in cancer tissues and single cells and specific organelles in cells: nucleous, mitochondrium, lipid droplets, cytoplasm and membrane. We found that the concentration of reduced cytochrome c becomes abnormally high in human brain tumors and breast cancers in human tissues. Our results reveal the universality of Raman vibrational characteristics of mitochondrial cytochromes in metabolic regulation in cancers that arise from epithelial breast cells and brain glial cells.

Redox Imbalance and Biochemical Changes in Cancer by Probing Redox-Sensitive Mitochondrial Cytochromes in Label-Free Visible Resonance Raman Imaging

Simple Summary

Gliomas comprise around 30% of human brain tumors, while invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) comprises around 80% of human breast cancers. The aim of our study was to show that cancerogenesis affects the redox status of mitochondrial cytochromes, which can be tracked by using Raman spectroscopy and imaging. Our results confirmed that human breast cancer and brain tumor demonstrate a redox imbalance compared to normal tissues. We have shown the correlation between the intensity of cytochromes Raman bands at 750, 1126, 1337 and 1584 cm⁻¹ and malignancy grade for brain and breast cancers.

Abstract

To monitor redox state changes and biological mechanisms occurring in mitochondrial cytochromes in cancers improving methods are required. We used Raman spectroscopy and Raman imaging to monitor changes in the redox state of the mitochondrial cytochromes in ex vivo human brain and breast tissues at 532 nm, 633 nm, 785 nm. We identified the oncogenic processes that characterize human infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) and human brain tumors: gliomas; astrocytoma and medulloblastoma based on the quantification of cytochrome redox status by exploiting the resonance-enhancement effect of Raman scattering. We visualized localization of cytochromes by Raman imaging in the breast and brain tissues and analyzed cytochrome c vibrations at 750, 1126, 1337 and 1584 cm⁻¹ as a function of malignancy grade. We found that the concentration of reduced cytochrome c becomes abnormally high in human brain tumors and breast cancers and correlates with the grade of cancer. We showed that Raman imaging provides additional insight into the biology of astrocytomas and breast ductal invasive cancer, which can be used for noninvasive grading, differential diagnosis.

Deuterium-labeled Raman tracking of glucose accumulation and protein metabolic dynamics in Aspergillus nidulans hyphal tips

Filamentous fungi grow exclusively at their tips, where many growth-related fungal processes, such as enzyme secretion and invasion into host cells, take place. Hyphal tips are also a site of active metabolism. Understanding metabolic dynamics within the tip region is therefore important for biotechnology and medicine as well as for microbiology and ecology. However, methods that can track metabolic dynamics with sufficient spatial resolution and in a nondestructive manner are highly limited. Here we present time-lapse Raman imaging using a deuterium (D) tracer to study spatiotemporally varying metabolic activity within the hyphal tip of Aspergillus nidulans. By analyzing the carbon-deuterium (C-D) stretching Raman band with spectral deconvolution, we visualize glucose accumulation along the inner edge of the hyphal tip and synthesis of new proteins from the taken-up D-labeled glucose specifically at the central part of the apical region. Our results show that deuterium-labeled Raman imaging offers a broadly applicable platform for the study of metabolic dynamics in filamentous fungi and other relevant microorganisms in vivo.

Detection of Penicillin G Produced by Penicillium chrysogenum with Raman Microspectroscopy and Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least-Squares Methods

Raman microspectroscopy is a minimally invasive technique that can identify molecules without labeling. In this study, we demonstrate the detection of penicillin G inside Penicillium chrysogenum KF425 fungal cells. Raman spectra acquired from the fungal cells had highly overlapped spectroscopic signatures and hence were analyzed with multivariate curve resolution by alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) to extract the spectra of individual molecular constituents. In addition to detecting spatial distribution of multiple constituents such as proteins and lipids inside the fungal body, we could also observe the subcellular localization of penicillin G. This methodology has the potential to be employed in screening the production of bioactive compounds by microorganisms.

Menadione-induced endothelial inflammation detected by Raman spectroscopy

In this work, the effect of an early oxidative stress on human endothelial cells induced by menadione was studied using a combined methodology of label-free Raman imaging and fluorescence staining. Menadione-induced ROS-dependent endothelial inflammation in human aorta endothelial cells (HAEC) was studied with focus on changes in cytochrome, proteins, nucleic acids and lipids content and their distribution in cells. Fluorescence staining (ICAM-1, VCAM-1, vWF, LipidTox, MitoRos and DCF) was used to confirm endothelial inflammation and ROS generation. The results showed that short time, exposure to menadione did not cause their apoptosis or necrosis (Annexin V Apoptosis Detection Kit) within the 3 h timescale of measurement. On the other hand, 3 h of incubation, did result in endothelial inflammation (ICAM-1, VCAM-1, vWF) that was associated with an increased ROS formation (MitoRos and DCF) suggesting the oxidative stress-mediated inflammation. Chemometric analysis of spectral data enabled the determination of spectroscopic markers of menadione-induced oxidative stress-mediated endothelial inflammation including a decrease of the bands intensity of cytochrome (604, 750, 1128, 1315 and 1585 cm^-1), nucleic acids bands (785 cm^-1), proteins (1005 cm^-1) and increased intensity of lipid bands (722, 1085, 1265, 1303, 1445 and 1660 cm^-1), without changes in the spectroscopic signature of the cell nucleus. In conclusion, oxidative stress resulting in endothelial inflammation was featured by significant alterations in the number of biochemical changes in mitochondria and other cellular compartments detected by Raman spectroscopy. Most of these, coexisted with results from fluorescence imaging, and most importantly occurred earlier than the detection of increased ROS or markers of endothelial inflammation.

Fixed versus live endothelial cells: The effect of glutaraldehyde fixation manifested by characteristic bands on the Raman spectra of cells

This work shows an impact of glutaraldehyde (GA) fixation on endothelial cells. Raman spectroscopy imaging was used as a method to monitor biochemical content of the cells due to GA fixation since this is an approach frequently used for studying cells by means of Raman imaging. To get a deeper insight into the changes and to understand them better the measurements of live and fixed cells were performed using two lasers, i.e. 488 and 532 nm. It has been demonstrated that GA fixation affects lipids, proteins, nucleic acid and carbohydrates to small extent. The application of 488 nm laser line seems to be more efficient for live cells due to the small impact of cytochrome resonance on Raman spectra, however 532 nm line is more beneficial for fixed cells due to higher quantum efficiency of the detector, thus leading to higher intensity of Raman bands. Generally, the changes due to fixation are not pronounced but cannot be ignored and the knowledge about them can help in a proper interpretation of data collected for fixed versus live cells.

The role of the myeloperoxidase-derived oxidant hypothiocyanous acid (HOSCN) in the induction of mitochondrial dysfunction in macrophages

A host of chronic inflammatory diseases are accelerated by the formation of the powerful oxidant hypochlorous acid (HOCl) by myeloperoxidase (MPO). In the presence of thiocyanate (SCN^-), the production of HOCl by MPO is decreased in favour of the formation of a milder oxidant, hypothiocyanous acid (HOSCN). The role of HOSCN in disease has not been fully elucidated, though there is increasing interest in using SCN^- therapeutically in different disease settings. Unlike HOCl, HOSCN can be detoxified by thioredoxin reductase, and reacts selectively with thiols to result in reversible modifications, which could potentially reduce the extent of MPO-induced damage during chronic inflammation. In this study, we show that exposure of macrophages, a key inflammatory cell type, to HOSCN results in the reversible modification of multiple mitochondrial proteins, leading to increased mitochondrial membrane permeability, decreased oxidative phosphorylation and reduced formation of ATP. The increased permeability and reduction in ATP could be reversed by pre-treatment of the macrophages with cyclosporine A, implicating a role for the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. HOSCN also drives cells to utilise fatty acids as an energetic substrate after the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation. Raman imaging studies highlighted the ability of HOSCN to perturb the electron transport chain of mitochondria and redistribute these organelles within the cell. Taken together, these data provide new insight into the pathways by which HOSCN can induce cytotoxicity and cellular damage, which may have relevance for the development of inflammatory disease, and therapeutic strategies to reduce HOCl-induced damage by supplementation with SCN^-.

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HOSCN induces the oxidation of mitochondrial thiol proteins and cytochromes.

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HOSCN alters mitochondrial permeability and ATP production via MPTP formation.

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HOSCN increases the capacity of cells to use fatty acids as an energetic substrate.

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Raman imaging shows redistribution of mitochondria after cell exposure to HOSCN.

Raman spectroscopic signatures of carotenoids and polyenes enable label-free visualization of microbial distributions within pink biofilms

Pink biofilms are multispecies microbial communities that are commonly found in moist household environments. The development of this pink stain is problematic from an aesthetic point of view, but more importantly, it raises hygienic concerns because they may serve as a potential reservoir of opportunistic pathogens. Although there have been several studies of pink biofilms using molecular analysis and confocal laser scanning microscopy, little is known about the spatial distributions of constituent microorganisms within pink biofilms, a crucial factor associated with the characteristics of pink biofilms. Here we show that Raman spectroscopic signatures of intracellular carotenoids and polyenes enable us to visualize pigmented microorganisms within pink biofilms in a label-free manner. We measured space-resolved Raman spectra of a pink biofilm collected from a bathroom, which clearly show resonance Raman bands of carotenoids. Multivariate analysis of the Raman hyperspectral imaging data revealed the presence of typical carotenoids and structurally similar but different polyenes, whose spatial distributions within the pink biofilm were found to be mutually exclusive. Raman measurements on individual microbial cells isolated from the pink biofilm confirmed that these distributions probed by carotenoid/polyene Raman signatures are attributable to different pigmented microorganisms. The present results suggest that Raman microspectroscopy with a focus on microbial pigments such as carotenoids is a powerful nondestructive method for studying multispecies biofilms in various environments.

Raman micro-spectroscopy monitoring of cytochrome c redox state in Candida utilis during cell death under low-temperature plasma-induced oxidative stress

Oxidative stress may result in different modes of cell death, such as necrosis, apoptosis and necroptosis. Currently, researchers are still striving to develop efficient tools/methods to distinguish the cell death modes in direct and label-free ways. In this study, we attempted to employ Raman micro-spectroscopy to observe the molecular changes in Candida utilis cells under oxidative stress induced by low-temperature plasma (LTP) and explore the spectroscopic biomarkers for the modes of cell death under oxidative stress. In this research, we confirmed that LTP could impose oxidative stress on the yeast cells, and recorded the changes of Raman signals of cytochrome c in the cells under LTP oxidative stress. Subsequently, we identified the biochemical and morphological characteristic features corresponding to different modes of cell death. Interestingly, we found that LTP under certain conditions could induce oxidative stress which caused the yeast cell death mainly by means of necroptosis, which was verified by Annexin V/PI, HMGB1 location assay and immunoprecipitation assay of the RIP1/RIP3 necrosome. Correspondingly, we also showed that the LTP induced necroptosis, associated with the increase of cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ and mitochondrial ROS, the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential, the release of oxidized cytochrome c from the mitochondrion to the cytoplasm, and the destruction of mitochondria in yeast cells. This work has therefore demonstrated that monitoring the redox state of cytochrome c using Raman micro-spectroscopy is very useful for distinguishing the modes of cell death and particularly may unveil the unique necroptosis process of cells under extrinsic oxidative stress.

Small Sample Stress: Probing Oxygen-Deprived Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria with Raman Spectroscopy In Vivo

The stress response of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to oxygen deprivation limits AOB growth and leads to different nitrification pathways that cause the release of greenhouse gases. Measuring the stress response of AOB has proven to be a challenge due to the low growth rates of stressed AOB, making the sample volumes required to monitor the internal stress response of AOB prohibitive to repeated analysis. In a proof-of-concept study, confocal Raman microscopy with excitation resonant to the heme c moiety of cytochrome c was used to compare the cytochrome c content and activity of stressed and unstressed Nitrosomonas europaea (Nm 50), Nitrosomonas eutropha (Nm 57), Nitrosospira briensis (Nsp 10), and Nitrosospira sp. (Nsp 02) in vivo. Each analysis required no more than 1000 individual cells per sampling; thus, the monitoring of cultures with low cell concentrations was possible. The identified spectral marker delivered reproducible results within the signal-to-noise ratio of the underlying Raman spectra. Cytochrome c content was found to be elevated in oxygen-deprived and previously oxygen-deprived samples. In addition, cells with predominantly ferrous cytochrome c content were found in deprived Nitrosomonas eutropha and Nitrosospira samples, which may be indicative of ongoing electron storage at the time of measurement.

Raman Scattering: From Structural Biology to Medical Applications

This is a review of relevant Raman spectroscopy (RS) techniques and their use in structural biology, biophysics, cells, and tissues imaging towards development of various medical diagnostic tools, drug design, and other medical applications. Classical and contemporary structural studies of different water-soluble and membrane proteins, DNA, RNA, and their interactions and behavior in different systems were analyzed in terms of applicability of RS techniques and their complementarity to other corresponding methods. We show that RS is a powerful method that links the fundamental structural biology and its medical applications in cancer, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, atherosclerotic, and other diseases. In particular, the key roles of RS in modern technologies of structure-based drug design are the detection and imaging of membrane protein microcrystals with the help of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), which would help to further the development of protein structural crystallography and would result in a number of novel high-resolution structures of membrane proteins—drug targets; and, structural studies of photoactive membrane proteins (rhodopsins, photoreceptors, etc.) for the development of new optogenetic tools. Physical background and biomedical applications of spontaneous, stimulated, resonant, and surface- and tip-enhanced RS are also discussed. All of these techniques have been extensively developed during recent several decades. A number of interesting applications of CARS, resonant, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy methods are also discussed.

Flow-Through Optical Chromatography in Combination with Confocal Raman Microspectroscopy: A Novel Label-Free Approach To Detect Responses of Live Macrophages to Environmental Stimuli

Flow-through optical chromatography (FT-OC), an advanced mode of optical chromatography, achieved baseline separation of a mixture of silica microparticles (SiO₂, 1.00 and 2.50 μm) and a mixture of polystyrene microparticles (PS, 1.00, 2.00, and 3.00 μm) based on particle size. Comparisons made between experimentally determined velocities for the microparticles and theoretically derived velocities from Mie theory and Stokes' law validated the data collection setup and the data analysis for FT-OC. A population shift in live macrophages (cell line IC-21, ATCC TIB-186) responding to environmental stimuli was sensitively detected by FT-OC. The average velocity of macrophages stressed by nutritional deprivation was decreased considerably together with a small but statistically significant increase in cell size. Mie scattering calculations demonstrated that the small increase in cell size of macrophages stressed by nutritional deprivation was not entirely responsible for this decrease. Confocal fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies revealed morphological changes of macrophages induced by nutritional deprivation, and these changes were more likely responsible for the decrease in average velocity detected by FT-OC. Confocal Raman microspectroscopy was used to shed light upon biochemical transformations of macrophages suffering from nutritional deprivation.

Development of a Gas-Tight Microfluidic System for Raman Sensing of Single Pulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells Under Normoxic/Hypoxic Conditions

Acute hypoxia changes the redox-state of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). This might influence the activity of redox-sensitive voltage-gated K⁺-channels (Kv-channels) whose inhibition initiates hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). However, the molecular mechanism of how hypoxia—or the subsequent change in the cellular redox-state—inhibits Kv-channels remains elusive. For this purpose, a new multifunctional gas-tight microfluidic system was developed enabling simultaneous single-cell Raman spectroscopic studies (to sense the redox-state under normoxic/hypoxic conditions) and patch-clamp experiments (to study the Kv-channel activity). The performance of the system was tested by optically recording the O₂-content and taking Raman spectra on murine PASMCs under normoxic/hypoxic conditions or in the presence of H₂O₂. Oxygen sensing showed that hypoxic levels in the gas-tight microfluidic system were achieved faster, more stable and significantly lower compared to a conventional open system (1.6 ± 0.2%, respectively 6.7 ± 0.7%, n = 6, p < 0.001). Raman spectra revealed that the redistribution of biomarkers (cytochromes, FeS, myoglobin and NADH) under hypoxic/normoxic conditions were improved in the gas-tight microfluidic system (p-values from 0.00% to 16.30%) compared to the open system (p-value from 0.01% to 98.42%). In conclusion, the new redox sensor holds promise for future experiments that may elucidate the role of Kv-channels during HPV.

Biological and Medical Applications of Multivariate Curve Resolution Assisted Raman Spectroscopy

Biological specimens such as cells, tissues and biofluids (urine, blood) contain mixtures of many different biomolecules, all of which contribute to a Raman spectrum at any given point. The separation and identification of pure biochemical components remains one of the biggest challenges in Raman spectroscopy. Multivariate curve resolution, a matrix factorization method, is a powerful, yet flexible, method that can be used with constraints, such as non-negativity, to decompose a complex spectroscopic data matrix into a small number of physically meaningful pure spectral components along with their relative abundances. This paper reviews recent applications of multivariate curve resolution by alternating least squares analysis to Raman spectroscopic and imaging data obtained either in vivo or in vitro from biological and medical samples.

Responsive monitoring of mitochondrial redox states in heart muscle predicts impending cardiac arrest

Assessing the adequacy of oxygen delivery to tissues is vital, particularly in the fields of intensive care medicine and surgery. As oxygen delivery to a cell becomes deficient, changes in mitochondrial redox state precede changes in cellular function. We describe a technique for the continuous monitoring of the mitochondrial redox state on the epicardial surface using resonance Raman spectroscopy. We quantify the reduced fraction of specific electron transport chain cytochromes, a metric we name the resonance Raman reduced mitochondrial ratio (3RMR). As oxygen deficiency worsens, heme moieties within the electron transport chain become progressively more reduced, leading to an increase in 3RMR. Myocardial 3RMR increased from baseline values of 18.1 ± 5.9 to 44.0 ± 16.9% (P = 0.0039) after inferior vena cava occlusion in rodents (n = 8). To demonstrate the diagnostic power of this measurement, 3RMR was continuously measured in rodents (n = 31) ventilated with 5 to 8% inspired oxygen for 30 min. A 3RMR value exceeding 40% at 10 min predicted subsequent cardiac arrest with 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity [area under the curve (AUC), 0.98], outperforming all current measures, including contractility (AUC, 0.51) and ejection fraction (AUC, 0.39). 3RMR correlated with indices of intracellular redox state and energy production. This technique may permit the real-time identification of critical defects in organ-specific oxygen delivery.

Effect of glycerol on photobleaching of cytochrome Raman lines in frozen yeast cells

We applied a Raman spectroscopy approach to investigate the effect of a cryoprotectant on the redox state of cytochromes on freezing yeast cells. The redox activity of cytochromes was studied using time-resolved photobleaching of the resonance Raman lines. It is found that ice formation causes a drastic change in the redox state of cytochromes in cells frozen without cryoprotectant, whereas in the presence of glycerol the effects of ice formation are more gradual. The photobleaching rate of cells frozen in glycerol solution shows a gradual slowing with temperature decrease and an abrupt slowdown below - 48 °C. This abrupt decrease was interpreted as originating from changes in protein conformational dynamics. Our findings provide important new insights into the transition from active to inactive cytochrome states as cells undergo freezing in the presence and absence of cryoprotectant.

Label-free detection of myocardial ischaemia in the perfused rat heart by spontaneous Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy, which identifies intrinsic molecular constituents, has a potential for determining myocardial viability under label-free conditions. However, its suitability for evaluating myocardial ischaemia is undetermined. Focusing on cytochromes, i.e., representative molecules reflecting mitochondrial activity, we tested whether Raman spectroscopy is applicable for evaluating myocardial ischaemia especially during early ischaemic phase. We obtained spontaneous Raman spectra of the subepicardial myocardium in the Langendorff-perfused rat heart upon 532-nm excitation before and during the “stopped-flow,” global ischaemia. Semi-quantitative values of the peak intensities at 750 and 1127 cm⁻¹, which reflect reduced cytochromes c and b, increased immediately and progressively after induction of the stopped flow, indicating progressive reduction of the mitochondrial respiration. Such spectral changes emerged before the loss of 1) mitochondrial membrane potentials measured by the fluorescence intensity of tetramethyl rhodamine ethyl ester or 2) staining of the triphenyl tetrazolium chloride dye in the myocardium. The progressive increases in the Raman peaks by stopped flow were significantly retarded by ischaemic preconditioning. Sequential measurements of the peak intensities at 750 and 1127 cm⁻¹ enabled early detection of the myocardial ischaemia based on the mitochondrial functions. These data suggest that Raman spectroscopy offers the potential to evaluate acute ischaemic heart under label-free conditions.

Fabrication of Annealed Gold Nanostructures on Pre-Treated Glow-Discharge Cleaned Glasses and Their Used for Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Detection of Adsorbed (Bio)molecules

Metallic nanoparticles are considered as active supports in the development of specific chemical or biological biosensors. Well-organized nanoparticles can be prepared either through expensive (e.g., electron beam lithography) or inexpensive (e.g., thermal synthesis) approaches where different shapes of nanoparticles are easily obtained over large solid surfaces. Herein, the authors propose a low-cost thermal synthesis of active plasmonic nanostructures on thin gold layers modified glass supports after 1 h holding on a hot plate (~350 °C). The resulted annealed nanoparticles proved a good reproducibility of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) optical responses and where used for the detection of low concentrations of two model (bio)chemical molecules, namely the human cytochrome b5 (Cyt-b5) and trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (BPE).

Redox State of Cytochromes in Frozen Yeast Cells Probed by Resonance Raman Spectroscopy

Cryopreservation is a well-established technique used for the long-term storage of biological materials whose biological activity is effectively stopped under low temperatures (suspended animation). Since most biological methods do not work in a low-temperature frozen environment, the mechanism and details of the depression of cellular activity in the frozen state remain largely uncharacterized. In this work, we propose, to our knowledge, a new approach to study the downregulation of the redox activity of cytochromes b and c in freezing yeast cells in a contactless, label-free manner. Our approach is based on cytochrome photobleaching effects observed in the resonance Raman spectra of live cells. Photoinduced and native redox reactions that contributed to the photobleaching rate were studied over a wide temperature range (from -173 to +25 °C). We found that ice formation influences both the rate of cytochrome redox reactions and the balance between the reduced and oxidized cytochromes. We demonstrate that the temperature dependence of native redox reaction rates can be well described by the thermal activation law with an apparent energy of 32.5 kJ/mol, showing that the redox reaction rate is ∼10(15) times slower at liquid nitrogen temperature than at room temperature.

Raman spectroscopy for detecting supported planar lipid bilayers composed of ganglioside-GM1/sphingomyelin/cholesterol in the presence of amyloid-β

The aggregation and fibril formation of amyloid β(Aβ) peptides onto a ganglioside-GM1-containing lipid membrane is a cause of neurodegenerative diseases. The mechanism of the initial binding and the conformational changes of Aβ on the membrane should be clarified. Fluorescence microscopy and Raman spectroscopy have been performed to investigate the supporting planar lipid bilayers (SPBs) composed of ganglioside-GM1, sphingomyelin and cholesterol. It is demonstrated that the SPBs are in a liquid-crystalline state when placed on mica, and increasing the amount of ganglioside-GM1 can decrease the lateral interaction between the acyl chains of the SPBs. It has been found that Aβ(1-40) initially interacts with the galactose ring of the ganglioside-GM1 head group, leading to its binding and gradual aggregation on the membrane surface. The obvious change observed in Raman spectroscopy in the ν(C-H) region confirms that the hydrophobic C-terminal of Aβ(1-40) inserts itself into the hydrophobic part of the SPBs. The Raman data indicate that α-helix and β-sheet structures of Aβ(1-40) increase and coexist over longer time frames. Based on these results, a model was proposed to describe the mechanism of the conformational changes and the aggregation of Aβ(1-40) that are mediated by ganglioside-GM1-containing SPBs.

Homogeneous large-scale crystalline nanoparticle-covered substrate with high SERS performance

This article details the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance of plasmonic substrates fabricated by a physical metal evaporation technique that uses no precursor or intermediate coating. We outline a cost-effective nanofabrication protocol that uses common laboratory equipment to produce homogeneously covered crystalline nanoparticle substrates. Our fabrication yields a homogeneous SERS response over the whole surface. The platform is tested with methylene blue diluted at various concentrations to estimate the sensitivity, homogeneity, and reproducibility of the process. The capacity of the substrates is also confirmed with spectroscopic investigations of human microsomal cytochrome b5.

Photobleaching of the resonance Raman lines of cytochromes in living yeast cells

The photobleaching of the resonance cytochrome Raman lines in living Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells was studied. The photobleaching rate versus the irradiation power was described by square function plus a constant in contrast to the linear dependence of the photoinjury rate. This difference distinguishes the cytochrome photooxidation from other processes of the cell photodamage. The square dependence is associated with the reaction involving two photogenerated intermediates while the constant with the dark redox balance rates. This work demonstrates a potential of Raman spectroscopy to characterize the native cytochrome reaction rates and to study the cell photodamage precursors.

In situ detection of antibiotic amphotericin B produced in Streptomyces nodosus using Raman microspectroscopy

The study of spatial distribution of secondary metabolites within microbial cells facilitates the screening of candidate strains from marine environments for functional metabolites and allows for the subsequent assessment of the production of metabolites, such as antibiotics. This paper demonstrates the first application of Raman microspectroscopy for in situ detection of the antifungal antibiotic amphotericin B (AmB) produced by actinomycetes—Streptomyces nodosus. Raman spectra measured from hyphae of S. nodosus show the specific Raman bands, caused by resonance enhancement, corresponding to the polyene chain of AmB. In addition, Raman microspectroscopy enabled us to monitor the time-dependent change of AmB production corresponding to the growth of mycelia. The Raman images of S. nodosus reveal the heterogeneous distribution of AmB within the mycelia and individual hyphae. Moreover, the molecular association state of AmB in the mycelia was directly identified by observed Raman spectral shifts. These findings suggest that Raman microspectroscopy could be used for in situ monitoring of antibiotic production directly in marine microorganisms with a method that is non-destructive and does not require labeling.

Microfluidics and Raman microscopy: current applications and future challenges

Raman microscopy systems are becoming increasingly widespread and accessible for characterising chemical species. Microfluidic systems are also progressively finding their way into real world applications. Therefore, it is anticipated that the integration of Raman systems with microfluidics will become increasingly attractive and practical. This review aims to provide an overview of Raman microscopy-microfluidics integrated systems for researchers who are actively interested in utilising these tools. The fundamental principles and application strengths of Raman microscopy are discussed in the context of microfluidics. Various configurations of microfluidics that incorporate Raman microscopy methods are presented, with applications highlighted. Data analysis methods are discussed, with a focus on assisting the interpretation of Raman-microfluidics data from complex samples. Finally, possible future directions of Raman-microfluidic systems are presented.

Molecular pathology via IR and Raman spectral imaging

During the last 15 years, vibrational spectroscopic methods have been developed that can be viewed as molecular pathology methods that depend on sampling the entire genome, proteome and metabolome of cells and tissues, rather than probing for the presence of selected markers. First, this review introduces the background and fundamentals of the spectroscopies underlying the new methodologies, namely infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Then, results are presented in the context of spectral histopathology of tissues for detection of metastases in lymph nodes, squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinomas, brain tumors and brain metastases. Results from spectral cytopathology of cells are discussed for screening of oral and cervical mucosa, and circulating tumor cells. It is concluded that infrared and Raman spectroscopy can complement histopathology and reveal information that is available in classical methods only by costly and time-consuming steps such as immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction or gene arrays. Due to the inherent sensitivity toward changes in the bio-molecular composition of different cell and tissue types, vibrational spectroscopy can even provide information that is in some cases superior to that of any one of the conventional techniques.

In situ Raman study of redox state changes of mitochondrial cytochromes in a perfused rat heart

We developed a Raman spectroscopy-based approach for simultaneous study of redox changes in c-and b-type cytochromes and for a semiquantitative estimation of the amount of oxygenated myoglobin in a perfused rat heart. Excitation at 532 nm was used to obtain Raman scattering of the myocardial surface of the isolated heart at normal and hypoxic conditions. Raman spectra of the heart under normal pO₂ demonstrate unique peaks attributable to reduced c-and b-type cytochromes and oxymyoglobin (oMb). The cytochrome peaks decreased in intensity upon FCCP treatment, as predicted from uncoupling mitochondrial respiration. Conversely, transient hypoxia causes the reversible increase in the intensity of peaks assigned to cytochromes c and c1, reflecting electron stacking proximal to cytochrome oxidase due to the lack of terminal electron acceptor O₂. Intensities of peaks assigned to oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin were used for the semiquantitative estimation of oMb deoxygenation that was found to be of approximately 50 under hypoxia conditions.

Casting new physicochemical light on the fundamental biological processes in single living cells by using Raman microspectroscopy

This Personal Account highlights the capabilities of spontaneous Raman microspectroscopy for studying fundamental biological processes in a single living cell. Raman microspectroscopy provides time- and space-resolved vibrational Raman spectra that contain detailed information on the structure and dynamics of biomolecules in a cell. By using yeast as a model system, we have made great progress in the development of this methodology. The results that we have obtained so far are described herein with an emphasis placed on how three cellular processes, that is, cell-division, respiration, and cell-death, are traced and elucidated with the use of time- and space-resolved structural information that is extracted from the Raman spectra. For cell-division, compositional- and structural changes of various biomolecules are observed during the course of the whole cell cycle. For respiration, the redox state of mitochondrial cytochromes, which is inferred from the resonance Raman bands of cytochromes, is used to evaluate the respiration activity of a single cell, as well as that of isolated mitochondrial particles. Special reference is made to the "Raman spectroscopic signature of life", which is a characteristic Raman band at 1602 cm(-1) that is found in yeast cells. This signature reflects the cellular metabolic activity and may serve as a measure of mitochondrial dysfunction. For cell-death, "cross-talk" between the mitochondria and the vacuole in a dying cell is suggested.